Ren's Birthday
by Bloody Rose021
Summary: Ren and Kyoko end up working together for a(n) (in)famous photographer's latest project. Concerned, Ren makes the decision to keep Kyoko safe from any untoward advances from the director. Unfortunately, once he understood Ren's intent, the sadistic director decided to make use of Ren's feelings to create emotional scenes that were as realistic as possible. Both on and off-camera.
1. Chapter 1

Ren's Birthday

Special thanks to MitsukiTenshi for giving me feedback on this fanfic!

Disclaimer: I don't own skip beat or any of the characters. that honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki. I just own this story line. ^^

" " is talking

' ' is thinking

* * grudge kyoko (not in flashback)

Chapter 1

"Ano, Tsuruga san..." Kyoko's voice stopped working after seeing the look on Ren's face. She went back to sitting up stiffly straight, facing the road as they drove to L.M.E. 'I can't even bring myself to ask him what's wrong. He doesn't seem to be angry, but...his face looks so...' She snuck a look at his face, which had an ever changing expression.

Kyoko had never seen anyone who could change their aura so quickly. From sad, to happy, back to sad, then depressed, then hopeful, then ecstatic, then crestfallen. It went on and on...

Finally, Kyoko couldn't stand the silence and her own curiosity any longer. She cleared her throat, straightened her shoulders, and without turning to face him, said, "Ano, Tsuruga san, I know it's not my place to ask, but ever since we left the Dark Moon set, you've been acting strangely, and I was just wondering—" *Ah, I feel it, this anger feels sooo nice.* Her anger antenna suddenly popped out, freezing Kyoko into a block of ice. *It's coming from over here, over heeere...*

The ice cracked as Kyoko slowly turned her head to look at Ren, 'Oh no, I shouldn't have asked, I shouldn't have opened my mouth.' whimpered Kyoko when she saw her anger antenna wrapped around Tsuruga san while he aimed a dazzlingly bright smile at Kyoko.

"Yes Mogami san? Just what was it you were wondering?" The brightness increased as Kyoko cowered back in her seat.

"I'm sorry!" She burst out crying, "I didn't mean to make you angry Tsuruga san!" she wailed, startling a surprised laugh out of Ren.

"What makes you think I'm angry? I'm just in a bit of a thinking mood, that's all..." Ren murmured, lying through his teeth. Focusing back on the road ahead of him, Ren sighed as he went back to the thoughts that had been churning around in his mind ever since Takarada Lory, the president of L.M.E., had called him at the Dark Moon set, and told him to bring Kyoko back with him to L.M.E.

*_flashback_*

"_Okay everyone, that's it for today," Director Ogata clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "We'll be finishing up the last few scenes in Episode 18 on Saturday, so have a good evening!"_

_As Ren turned to talk to Yashiro, he caught sight of Kyoko's bandage on her right wrist and hurriedly said. "Yashiro san, wait here for me a moment." _

_Yashiro shook his head and replied, "I have to take care of some business in L.M.E. right away, so I'm going with Director Ogata, since he wants to talk to the president about Dark Moon's ratings. I'll see you tomorrow." He slyly nudged Ren in Kyoko's direction, who had finished changing into her regular clothes and was getting ready to leave. "I know you want to have a chat with her about her accident, so I'll leave you two alone. Don't screw up this chance!" and with that, Yashiro left quickly, a gleeful smile curving his mouth in, what some would say, a sinister manner._

_Ren watched as Yashiro disappeared from sight, sighed, and turned to where he'd seen Kyoko, only to see her outside talking to Momose chan, who played the part of Mizuki, cousin to Kyoko's Mio. He smiled to see her so animated, but quickly wiped the smile off his face as he remembered his reason for wanting to talk to her in the first place. Instead, pasting on the fake smile that was his trademark._

"_Mogami san," he called, as he walked up to them, "I'd like to speak to you for a minute, if you don't mind." _

_Kyoko glanced at Momose, who smiled and nodded her head graciously. "Go ahead, I'll see you on Saturday," and with that, she left the two of them alone in front of the entrance._

_Kyoko looked at Ren warily, but then, she usually did nowadays whenever he smiled at her like that. "Eto, what's the matter, Tsuruga san?" _

_The fake smile faded suddenly as Ren asked, "Why didn't you tell me before about your hand? From what I've heard from Director Ogata, it happened over three weeks ago. Even though there haven't been any Katsuki vs. Mio scenes lately before today, you still could have called me..."_

"_I'm so sorry Tsuruga san!" __Kyoko said earnestly, "I just didn't want you to worry about me, that's all. Besides, the doctor said that my wrist should be completely healed by Monday, so that's a relief."_

_Ren sighed as he look down upon Kyoko's smiling face. "I still can't believe you fell down the stairs though, I didn't think you would be that clumsy."_

_Kyoko laughed nervously and replied, "Well, I was carrying a few drinks in hand for lunch, and I was on a diet for Natsu, so I was more careless than usual." Kyoko bowed deeply, "I'm so sorry, really, I know it was extremely unprofessional on my part. I promise I'll be more careful from now on. I've already been scolded for protecting the drinks over myself, so, it won't happen again!"_

_Ren's eyes narrowed, 'she's hiding something again,' but before he could voice his suspicions, his phone rang. "Excuse me for a minute, it's from the President" he said, as he answered the phone. He heard her breathe a sigh of relief and thought that they would definitely continue this conversation later._

"_Hello?" _

"_Ah, Ren, good evening. By any chance is Kyoko chan with you at the moment?" Ren glanced over at Kyoko, who was pushing her bike over to where Ren was standing, "Uh, yes, she's here." Good, good." Lory chuckled, "Bring her with you to L.M.E now, would you? I need to talk to you about the photo shoot you're in next Tuesday; I've recommended Kyoko chan to model in it as well."_

A/N: This is the first fanfic that I've even attempted to write, but I hope you all like it. Review if you want, but I thank everyone who took the time to read this. I'll try to update soon if you guys want me too, haha. ^^

I'm just going through and editing a few grammar problems here and there, so yeah, don't mind me. ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Ren's Birthday

Thank you to all of you who reviewed, and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts. ^^ I was really surprised that so many people reviewed actually, haha. ^^ I thought at most, I'd get maybe, around, 5? But I got 17, you all are awesome! ^^

Oh, and a special mention to Ecki. Your review was probably my favorite, it made me laugh so hard, and made me a little more motivated to write this chapter, which, as some people know, was really bugging me, so thanks. ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any of the characters from Skip Beat!, Yoshiki Nakamura does, I just own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 2

"_Will you hold on for a second?" After the President gave permission, Ren put his hand over the phone, "Mogami san, the President wants to talk to us over at L.M.E. I'll drive you over there, so just put your bike in the trunk." He clicked the button on his car keys that opened the trunk and gestured to it._

"_Okay, I understand!" Kyoko said, and started walking towards the car._

_Once Kyoko was out of earshot, Ren hissed, "You mean the photo shoot for 'Human Emotion'?! That can't be right?!"_

"_Are you questioning my judgment?" Lory said coldly. "I recommended Kyoko chan for the job because Director Takumi specifically asked me if there was an actress I'd recommend that was not only good in using body language, but had also worked with you before. Of course, Kyoko chan came to mind, and when I mentioned her, he exclaimed that she'd be perfect. Apparently, he's seen Fuwa Sho's pv for 'Prisoner', and is an avid watcher of 'Dark Moon' as well. Surely you don't think Kyoko chan's __**incapable**__ of doing this job well?"_

'_No, I just don't think I'd be able to keep myself in check' "Of course I think she'll do well," Ren mumbled, "But don't you think that this might be a bit too mature for Mogami san? She's only 17!"_

"_I've already told Director Takumi that if Kyoko chan was going to be doing the photo shoot, that she won't be taking any pictures that are too, 'mature', as you put it, for her age. Director Takumi might have a reputation for his pictures being overtly sensual, but I doubt he'll make a 17 year old actress with no experience with modeling do anything too racy. She'll be fine. Now then, we will finish this discussion when you arrive, as I have some business to discuss with Director Ogata now. Good-bye." *beep, beep*_

'_What is he plotting?' Ren stared at the phone for a moment, then shook his head, an unreadable expression on his face. 'I don't know if I should be ecstatic that Kyoko's going to model with me, or be depressed because she'll most likely avoid me like the plague after the photo shoot...' He shook his head once more to clear his thoughts and headed to his car._

"Tsuruga san? Tsuruga san?!" No reaction. Kyoko looked worriedly at Ren, who, after parking in L.M.E.'s parking lot, had sighed, and leaned his chin on the steering wheel, with eyes half closed. He hadn't moved since, though Kyoko had repeatedly called out to him. 'Forgive me, Tsuruga san." Kyoko thought, as she took a deep breath... and screamed in Ren's ear. "TSURUGA SAN, WAKE UP!!!"

Ren's body jerked upwards, as if an electric current had run through him. He turned his head towards Kyoko, who was a bit out of breath after screaming at the top of her lungs. "What just happened? My ears are ringing horribly..."

"I'm sorry Tsuruga san! It's just that we arrived at L.M.E. a while ago, but you didn't move at all, and I got worried when you didn't respond to me calling you, so—"

Ren put his hand up, effectively cutting Kyoko off. "It's okay, sorry for worrying you. We better go in before the President calls asking what happened to us." Kyoko laughed awkwardly. "By the way, how long had you been calling me?"

Kyoko looked down at her watch "Eto, probably around 5 minutes or so..."

Ren quickly masked his shock. 'I must have really been out of it to have not noticed for 5 minutes. I'll worry about this later, before I end up upsetting her anymore than I already have!"

They quickly got out of the car and walked into L.M.E. After the receptionist called and informed the President that they had arrived, they hurried to Lory's office, where they saw Director Ogata opening the door from within.

"We'll go with that then," a voice called from inside the office. Director Ogata nodded, and, after catching sight of Ren and Kyoko, held the door open for them. Ren and Kyoko murmured a quiet thank you before proceeding into the office and taking a seat.

As usual, Lory was dressed extravagantly, this time, in a beautiful golden Long Pao, or Chinese imperial court robe. There were beautifully designed green dragons embroidered on the front and sides of the robe, with exquisitely cut rubies for eyes. He truly looked like a genuine Chinese aristocrat of old in that outfit.

Lory turned to face Kyoko, "Now then, Mogami san, the reason I've called you here is because I've recommended you for a job."

"Is it for the Love Me Section?" Kyoko asked, thinking back to when Lory had recommended her to take care of Hizuri Kuu while he was in Tokyo. 'It was so much fun acting out Kuon...' With a tiny giggle, she started to wander off into La-la land...

"No." Lory said abruptly, pulling Kyoko back to reality. "Didn't Ren tell you already? I thought he would have, to try to convince you not to take this job, considering he was so vehemently against it." Lory glanced at Ren, who was looking at the two of them with an unreadable expression on his face.

Kyoko on the other hand, was slowly sinking into depression. 'Tsuruga san doesn't think I'm capable enough to do the job...wait,' "What kind of job is it?" Kyoko asked, still depressed, but curious about what kind of job Ren found her unsuitable for.

"I've recommended you to model with Ren for Director Takumi's new photo album 'Human Emotion.' "

"M-model?! Me?!" Kyoko sank even deeper into depression; she curled into a ball and pressed deep into the plush cushions of her chair. 'Of course Tsuruga san doesn't want to model with me, of course he thinks I'll screw up the project. I'm just a useless kouhai...'

Lory continued, ignoring Kyoko's depression, "The photo shoot will take place next week, from Tuesday, February 13th, to Thursday, February 15th. Director Takumi said that he may extend the time if needed. If you accept the job, Director Takumi will explain the details, but 'Human Emotion' is a photo album that will show the progression of a relationship through the emotion that the models portray in the photos. That's why Director Takumi didn't want to use an ordinary model, as he feels an actress will be able to portray the emotions more realistically. So just think of it as an acting job with no lines, and you should do fine!"

"Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhh..." depression marks appeared all around Kyoko's body 'But I don't want to act out this kind of role...'

"_No matter what the role, don't experience a preference before acting it." _

'Otou-san...'

'That's right.' Kyoko started to uncurl and finally sat up, back straight, with a determined look on her face.

"_My honest feelings are that I really dislike the 'bully' role after all. But I decided not to run away... I think that this is the trial that I have to go through to become a real actress...!! I will give it my all and fight...!! Believing in my own possibilities...!!" _

'I promised father. Even if this isn't a drama, I promised father I wouldn't run away!' "I'll do it!"

"Eh?!" Lory exclaimed. Both he and Ren stared incredulously at Kyoko, baffled by this sudden change of events.

Lory shook his head and smiled. 'I really don't understand what goes through that girl's head.' "Very well, I'm glad you decided to accept this job." He turned to look at Ren. "I need to talk to Kyoko chan alone for a while, so could you wait outside for a few minutes?"

Ren nodded slowly and stood up. Shooting one last glance at Kyoko, he left the office and closed the door behind him.

A/N: Well, that chapter's finally done! ^^ Seriously, when I finished this chapter, I was so happy, cause I really want to get to the later chapters! haha. Again, review if you want, but I thank everyone who reads this fanfic. ^^


	3. Chapter 3

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read this, review this, and put it into their story alerts and favorites. This chapter is out later than I thought it would be, due to me getting sick, but oh well. ^^ I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Skip Beat! and it's characters do not belong to me, they belong to Nakamura Yoshiki. Only this fanfic belongs to me, so there.

Chapter 3

As soon as Lory heard the lock click, he asked, "Did you enjoy your birthday party last Christmas Kyoko chan?"

Startled by the sudden change in topic, Kyoko stuttered, "Y-yes, very much so..." She had a confused look on her face, and seemed completely bewildered by the subject at hand.

"Which was your favorite present?" Lory asked gently, as if trying to coax a shy little rabbit to partake from his hand.

Kyoko stared at the ground shyly and replied, "Princess Rosa," in a quiet voice, as she thought back to when Princess Rosa had first fallen from the Queen of Rosa rose that Tsuruga san had given to her for her birthday. She closed her eyes in glee as a huge smile formed on her lips and a blush rose on her cheeks.

She opened her eyes, which were now sparkling, and said once more in a happy tone, "Princess Rosa."

Lory smiled, infected by her enthusiasm as he recalled the story Yashiro had told him about how Ren had slipped a pink, teardrop-shaped jewel inside the rose he had given to Kyoko at the party, and the so-called legend he had told her so that she would not reject the jewel. "Ren gave, uh, 'Princess Rosa' to you, if I recall correctly..."

Kyoko nodded vigorously, filled with gratitude once more at the amazing gift Ren had given her.

As if on cue, Lory heaved a dramatic sigh, "It's such a shame that Ren won't be able to experience the same joy you had, surrounded by people who care about you, receiving wonderful presents that make you light up like the sun... oh, if only his work schedule wasn't so demanding next week..."

Kyoko eyes widened as she understood what the President was implying. "Do you mean to say, that Tsuruga san's birthday...is next week?!"

Lory pretended to wipe a tear away. "Yes, next Tuesday to be exact. Although we've already cleared his schedule for the photo shoot, the hours are so long that he won't get enough sleep if we throw a party for him..."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. 'Tsuruga san's birthday is next Tuesday, that's when the modeling job starts... which means I'll be working with Tsuruga san on his birthday!' A look of horror appeared on her face. 'If I mess up and cause delays on his birthday, Tsuruga san will flay me alive!' The memory of Ren's "true nature", as Kyoko considered it, floated through her mind. Her hair stood on end and she put her hands on her face as she let out a tiny high pitched scream that badly startled Lory, and resulted in Ren popping his head in to see what had happened.

"Mogami san, are you alright?" As Ren's concerned face came into sight, Kyoko's eyes widened comically as she forced out a reply.

"Y-Yes! Nothing's the matter, haha, um, uh, just kind of got carried away, that's all." She pasted a reassuring smile onto her face that made Ren look at her suspiciously, but after a quick glance at Lory, he sighed and closed the door.

Kyoko let out a sigh of relief, and hesitantly turned to look at the President, who was watching her, worry and concern etched into his expression.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry for worrying you." Kyoko searched desperately for something, anything, to change the topic.

"Uh, you mentioned Tsuruga san's birthday earlier...?"

Lory lit up, and Kyoko relaxed. "Ah yes, thank you for reminding me! You know as well as I do about Ren's bad eating habits. Knowing him, he'd forget to eat, or just drink one of those energy drinks. I'd like you to make sure that he eats properly during the photo shoot, especially on his birthday."

Kyoko snapped to attention in her chair and said firmly, "Of course!" 'I would have done so even if you hadn't asked me to. It's deplorable how Tsuruga san treats his body...'

Lory smiled, seemingly delighted with her reply. "Good, good." He went to the door to let Ren back in, who was pacing back and forth in front of the door. "Don't worry, there doesn't seem to be anything upsetting her at the moment."

"..." Ren stopped pacing and sat back down next to Kyoko.

"Both of your schedules are cleared for those three days. Ren, I expect you to watch over Kyoko chan, as this is her first modeling job."

"Of course," murmured Ren, aware that Lory was also warning him.

"That'll be all, good luck with the modeling job Kyoko chan. I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job." 'Ren will make sure of it.'

* * *

"It's late. Let me give you a ride."

"Oh no, I can't bother you anymore, I've already inconvenienced you enough."

Ren smiled, "It's no bother, besides, it would bother me much more if you were to ride home yourself at this hour."

"Alright then, thank you!"

They drove in relative silence, although Kyoko had been trying to figure out a way to restart the conversation since they had entered the car.

_"Which was your favorite present?"_

'That's right...Tsuruga san's birthday is next Tuesday...'

_"It's such a shame that Ren won't be able to experience the same joy you had...oh, if only his work schedule wasn't so demanding next week..."_

'I have to make sure I don't inconvenience Tsuruga san on his birthday! But... he gave me such a wonderful present on my birthday, and he's helped me so much over the past year...what could I do to reciprocate?'

_"I'd like you to make sure he eats properly...especially on his birthday."_

'Right!' Kyoko jumped up in her seat and smacked her fist into her other hand.

Ren, confused by Kyoko's antics, stared at her in confusion for a minute. Then, just as he was focusing his attention back on the road...

"Whatkindofcakedoyoulike?!" Kyoko blurted out, unable to hold the question in. She covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Ren shook his head, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that..."

Kyoko took a deep breath and said slowly, "What kind of cake do you like?"

"Cake?" Ren frowned slightly as he tried to think of an appropriate answer. "I don't really have any particular type of cake I like..." he began slowly, "but I like it as long as the flavor's not too heavy. Why do you ask?"

"Okay, so not too heavy... okay then!" Kyoko started mumbling unintelligibly, much to Ren's dismay, but he shrugged it off upon seeing Darumaya's sign.

"Thank you for driving me home Tsuruga san."

Ren smiled gently and waved, "Take care."

* * *

The Darumaya couple were alarmed when they heard a crash near the front door. As they hurried to see what had happened, they found Kyoko swaying sluggishly, muttering "light cake," over and over again. Next to the door was a huge dent in the wall. Apparently Kyoko had slammed her head into the wall while taking off her shoes. A small trickle of blood started flowing from her hairline.

Okami san went to go get ice while Taisho guided her to a chair. After pressing the ice to her forehead for several minutes, Kyoko's thoughts cleared. After she apologized profusely for the trouble she'd caused, she haltingly stood up and went to her room.

"Will she be okay?" Okami san asked worriedly as they watched her walk slowly up the stairs.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, she's a tough girl." Taisho said gruffly, but with warmth in his eyes.

Okami san smiled and said softly, "Yes, she is..."

Meanwhile, Kyoko was searching for colored pencils and piece of drawing paper. After find the materials needed in a small compartment of her desk, she set to work.

After an hour and a half, and several failed attempts, Kyoko looked at her completed drawing with satisfaction.

"That should do it."

She carefully put the drawing in a folder on her desk and went to sleep.

A/N: I'm not sure when chapter 4 will be out, as I'm still working on it, but I'm going to be really busy pretty soon so it might take longer to upload chapters, but there shouldn't be more than a week's delay or so...


	4. Chapter 4

Ren's Birthday

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites. You all are awesome! ^^

Well, I finished this chapter a lot earlier than I expected to, some of the reviews made me really want to finish this chapter. ^^ I hope all of you like it, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, that honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki. I just own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 4

_Smack! The sound of Misao's hand landing on Mio's face echoed throughout the luxurious living room._

_"How dare you side with that little bitch against your own sister?!" Misao's face twisted in an ugly way as she shrieked, "Answer me!"_

_Mio's hand slowly rose to her face, lightly touching the place where Misao had slapped her. An evil smile formed on her lips as an ominous aura surrounded her._

_Mio turned her head slightly to look at Misao. Her scar stood out prominently as she said in a soft, low tone, "That look suits you perfectly, onee-san." _

"Cut! Great job, that'll do it for this scene! Okay, everyone go eat lunch!"

Kyoko snapped out of Mio and bowed to the actress who played Misao.

"Otsukaresama deshita!"

"Mogami san!"

Kyoko whipped her head around to see Tsuruga san waving at her. "Yes?"

"Would you like to have lunch with us?"

"Sorry, but I'm leaving now to go see Moko san."

"Alright then..." Ren smiled and gestured for Yashiro to go with him to the buffet.

"Yashiro san, make sure he eats properly!" Kyoko waved good-bye as she went to go change.

Yashiro turned to Ren, "Yes, I'll definitely make sure he eats a lot."

Ren paled at the amount of food Yashiro piled onto his plate. "There's absolutely no way that I'll be able to finish even half of this..."

"Well then, I'll just have to tell Kyoko chan that even though she specifically asked me to make sure you eat properly, you still refused to eat. I wonder just how disappointed she'll be in her beloved senpai, hmm?"

"..." Ren slowly started to eat, careful not to look Yashiro's way.

Yashiro smirked at Ren. "Ren really doesn't like to make Kyoko chan unhappy. How cute, haha."

Ren stiffened and shot a quick death glare at Yashiro, then went back to eating. 'I won't get caught in his mind games today.'

As Ren took a sip of water, Yashiro commented, "I heard from the President that Kyoko chan accepted the offer from Director Takumi. I wonder what he's going to make you two do..."

Ren choked as he desperately tried not to think too deeply about what Yashiro just said.

Yashiro laughed loudly as he watched Ren's reaction with glee. Once Ren calmed down he spoke in a whisper, "Now what exactly were you thinking of just now, hmm?" A sinister smile laced with morbid amusement graced Yashiro's face.

Ren gave Yashiro his ultimate gentlemanly smile, and with flowers and sparkles in the background, he replied, "Nothing important. It'd be in your best interests that you drop the subject. Now let me eat in peace."

Yashiro's smile faltered for a moment, but returned when he saw Kyoko heading towards the exit. "Kyoko chan! Good luck with the modeling job!"

Ren stiffened, but forced himself to relax as Kyoko came near their table.

"Arigatou Yashiro san, I'll do my best!"

She slowly turned to face Ren, who was watching her silently. "I'll do my best not to cause any trouble for you Tsuruga san!"

Ren laughed quietly and smiled a truly genuine smile. "Don't worry, as long as you do your best, you won't trouble me at all. If you need any help, just ask."

Kyoko visibly brightened, and said in a clear, happy voice, "Hai!"

"Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention for a moment." Director Ogata cleared his throat. "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone turned to face Director Ogata, curious, as this sort of thing didn't happen too often.

"As of last week, our ratings have passed Tsukigomori's, setting a new record of 49.9%." He paused to let everyone process this information, and then continued on. "To celebrate, the President has decided to host a party at his villa next Saturday to honor this occasion. You may bring guests if you like. Of course, dress rules are formal wear only. I hope everyone looks forward to it!"

The room was filled with excitement as people started talking about how they were going to prepare for the party, and how wonderful it was that they had finally broken the record.

"Oh, I've got to tell Moko san!" Kyoko's eyes shone with anticipation. "Maybe I'll be able to convince her to come to the party with me!" After quickly saying good-bye to Ren and Yashiro, she practically flew out the door.

About fifteen minutes later, at a cafe near the Dark Moon set, Kyoko finally caught sight of Moko as she made her way towards Kyoko.

"Moko saaaan!!!" Kyoko ran up to Moko and tried to hug her.

"Mo! Get away from me already!" After skillfully evading Kyoko's attack, Moko flipped her hair over her shoulder as they sat down at a table by the windows.

"Why did you call me?"

Kyoko fidgeted in her seat, and then quickly told Moko about what had happened on Thursday.

"What's Princess Rosa? I thought that Tsuruga san only gave you that rose..."

Kyoko pulled out the necklace she had made for Princess Rosa.

"EH?! He gave you that necklace?! And you accepted it?!"

Kyoko shook her head and pointed at the pink, teardrop-shaped jewel in the middle. "It fell from the middle of the rose, just like one of her highness's tears..." Kyoko started to drift off into la-la land, but Moko swiftly pulled her back to reality.

"That's just creepy how good you are at these kinds of things. What exactly do you plan to be when you're older?!"

Kyoko shrugged, "I like to make things, and I like to perfect things once I make them, that's all..."

Moko shook her head and sighed, "Anyways, you said you made a drawing?"

Kyoko smiled widely and nodded, "Yes," She pulled the folder out of her bag and took out the drawing. "I drew it last night."

Moko looked it over, scanning it carefully. "Why are you worried? This should be more than enough."

Kyoko shook her head furiously and said in a worried tone, "But Tsuruga san gave me such a wonderful present on my birthday, and he's really helped me out so much this past year. That's not nearly enough, but I don't know what else I could give him..."

Moko smiled faintly as she looked at Kyoko, then back at the drawing, "Well... since you really want to do something for him, why don't you make him dinner?"

Kyoko eyes widened as she smiled brightly at Moko, "Do you really think that would work?!" Her smile faltered, "But wait, since we don't finish till around 7:00 PM on Tuesday, I'd have to buy the ingredients beforehand, but where would I put them? I don't know if I would have enough time to go back to Darumaya, and what if Tsuruga san just wants to be by himself after work, and—"

Moko reached over the table and clapped her hand over Kyoko's mouth, staying there till Kyoko stopped trying to talk.

"Don't worry, there's no way Tsuruga san wouldn't appreciate you making dinner for him, and who would want to celebrate their birthday alone? I'm sure Tsuruga san wouldn't mind going with you after work to buy the ingredients, so CALM DOWN."

Kyoko's eyes watered and Moko pulled back, "What?"

"MOKO SAAAAN!!!" Kyoko tried to hug Moko from across the table, but Moko slapped her hands away.

"Mo! Will you stop that already?!"

Kyoko sniffed a bit as she did as she was told, but then she smiled and said gratefully, "Arigatou, Moko san."

Moko blushed a bit, and turned her head away slightly. "I-it's nothing..."

Kyoko thought for a moment and frowned slightly, "But, even if I cook dinner for him, I'm not actually giving him a present..."

"I'm sure Tsuruga san will be happy enough if you make him dinner, but if you're that worried, then you can ask him what he wants yourself."

"EH?! I couldn't do that!"

Moko put her hand to her forehead, "Then you can ask him after you make him dinner, and he'll probably just say something like 'what you've done is more than enough.'"

Kyoko hesitated for a moment, "I...guess that'll work..."

"Good, anything else?"

"Oh! I almost forgot! Moko san, will you please go with me next Saturday? Pretty please?!"

Moko looked confused, "Go with you where?"

"To the party the President's going to host at his villa in honor of Dark Moon surpassing Tsukigomori's record. So will you go? Please go with me!"

Moko turned her head away. "I don't have time for that kind of thing. I'm extremely busy you know!"

Kyoko eyes watered as she gazed at Moko, tears started running down her cheeks a few seconds later, her mouth quivering as if trying to hold in her sadness.

Moko stiffened, sensing Kyoko's misery. 'Mo! She always does this, always!' She did her best to ignore her, but broke once she heard a tiny sob from Kyoko's direction.

"Mo! Alright, I'll go! Okay?! Now stop crying!"

Unfortunately for Moko, Kyoko continued crying, only tears of joy this time, as she bestowed a beatific smile upon her.

"Moko san! Thank you so much!"

She finally stopped crying a few minutes later and looked down at her lap shyly. "Actually, since the dress code is formal wear, I don't know what to do... I don't own anything like that..."

Moko sighed in exasperation and stood up, "Since I'm going with you, I can't have you wearing something weird. We're going shopping!" She paid for their drinks and grabbed Kyoko's arm. "Hurry up! I don't have all day you know!"

Kyoko's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Hai!"

A/N: well, this story is getting more and more complicated, but it's more fun that way. ^^ Forgot to say this last chapter, so I'll say it again, thank you to everyone who reads this story, I really appreciate it. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Ren's Birthday

A/N/: Well, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I worked really hard on it, so there! ^^ haha, anyways, as always, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites list. I really appreciate it! I hope you all like this chapter. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters, I just own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 5

Moko watched Kyoko with a mixture of horror and fascination as Kyoko skipped along, saying in a sing-song tone, "I get to go shopping with Moko saaan! I'm going shopping with Moko saaan!" Every once in a while she would hop in front of a random bystander with dreamy eyes, "Isn't this wonderful?! This is the first time Moko san has asked me to go shopping with her! I'm so happy!!!"

Moko hurriedly walked past Kyoko, 'I don't know this person.' and rushed into the store in front of her.

"Moko saaan!" Kyoko rushed to catch up with her, "Are you getting an outfit for yourself too?"

Moko sighed in resignation and flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Of course! Who do you take me for?!" With that, she dragged Kyoko over to the women's section.

"Moko san! How about this one?" Kyoko held up an extremely frilly white dress.

Moko shuddered, "God no, go put it back now! This is why I'm doing this, because you'll just pick something that looks princessy, ugh. Just try on what I give you, okay?"

Kyoko nodded her head vigorously, 'Moko san's picking out clothes for me! Oh, it's just like those girls on TV!'

Moko searched quickly through the clothing racks and sighed, "Nope, okay, next store!"

"W-what?!" Kyoko cried out in confusion, as Moko grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the store to another across the street.

"Moko san, why'd we leave?!"

"Because there wasn't anything fitting for either of us," Moko replied, as if stating the obvious.

"Um, okay..." Kyoko stood there silently as she watched Moko go through the store with superhuman speed before she came back to Kyoko and dragged her out of the store again.

"Nothing good here either."

The same thing happened for the next few hours until Moko, exhausted, finally stopped by a park and sank down onto a bench. "Mo! Are there really no decent clothing stores around here?!" She checked her watch, "Good god, it's almost 5! Ugh, we'll hit a few more stores after this and call it a day."

"Moko san, do you already know what you're looking for?"

"No, but I know what I'm _not_ looking for, and all those stores were filled with them."

"Okay th-" *bzzz* Kyoko's entire body vibrated as if she were having a seizure until she grabbed her phone.

"Ow..." Moko rubbed her back, which had slammed into the bench when she had jumped up in surprise while still sitting down. "Who is it?"

"I don't know...there's no caller ID, so it might be Sawara san."

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mogami san,"

"T-Tsuruga san?!"

Moko stared at Kyoko, curious at her flustered reaction. 'Hmm.'

"Um, is something the matter Tsuruga san?"

"No, nothing in particular. I just finished filming for Dark Moon today and was wondering if you'd like me to give you a ride to and from the photo shoot location next week,"

Kyoko smiled unconsciously, blinding Moko for a brief second as she replied, "Yes, thank you so much Tsuruga san!"

Ren smiled faintly as he sat in his car, waiting for Yashiro, "By any chance, are you still with Kotonami san?"

"Uhn! We're taking a break from shopping right now, although we haven't found anything yet..."

"What are you looking for?"

"A dress for the party next Saturday. Moko san said she'd pick out my dress for me! She just hasn't seen anything she likes yet."

Ren frowned thoughtfully, "Is Kotonami san attending the party?"

"Hai! That's why she's picking out my dress for me."

"Well, I'm sure you'll look beautiful in whatever you end up choosing." 'This might work...' "Mogami san?"

"Eh? Yes?" Kyoko's face was flushed after Tsuruga's last comment, making Moko laugh behind her hand at Kyoko's reaction.

"Would you mind giving the phone to Kotonami san for a moment?"

"Uh, alright then..." She covered the mouthpiece, "He wants to talk to you."

Moko stared at her in confusion for a moment, then shrugged and held out her hand, "Okay..."

"Hello?" Moko eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why do you ask?" She huffed in exasperation, "Fine then, size 2...size 6...small." Moko sized up Kyoko quickly, "Roughly 5'2....No....Alright then." Moko handed the phone back to Kyoko.

"Hello?"

"I'll see you on Tuesday then, Mogami san."

"Uh, hai..." Kyoko closed her phone and stared curiously at Moko, "What did Tsuruga san want to talk to you about?"

"Nothing much, let's get some ice cream before we continue!"

Kyoko smiled happily, "Hai!" 'Why does it seem like she's hiding something from me? Moko san...'

Moko smiled gently at Kyoko, "Strawberry, right?" 'I need to stall for at least thirty minutes...'

"Uhn! There's an ice cream store about a block back, let's go there!" 'Moko san remembered my favorite flavor! Uwah, I'm so happy!!!'

Kyoko smiled widely as she happily told Moko all the details of Dark Moon's recent happenings on set while they were walking to the ice cream store.

Meanwhile...

"Yes, thank you for your help, and make sure of that last item...okay then, good-bye." Ren shut his phone as Yashiro knocked on the window.

"Sorry for making you wait, who were you talking to just now?"

"No one in particular, I just had something I needed to take care of."

A/N: oh, just a heads up, later on in the fic, I might ask for some suggestions for the photo shoot to make it a little more interesting, I might use a few if I can't come up with enough ideas. I thank everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic. Well then, I leave you to your day.


	6. Chapter 6

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, I finished this chapter a lot faster than I expected to, so that's good for you guys, haha. ^^ Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review and put this story on their favorites list and story alerts.

I'm dedicating this chapter to three people. First is Deadmat, who always takes the time to look over my story before I post it up here, second is Ashlyn Darke, who's last review made me feel more motivated than usual to finish this chapter early, and last, but not least, miss_understood777, whose review gave me an idea for this chapter. ^^ I know I tend to post my chapters irregularly, but I do try to post them in a timely manner, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own skip beat! or any of it's characters, I only own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 6

"Moko san, isn't this the company that Tsuruga san models for?"

"Yeah, uh, he recommended it to me earlier."

"Ah, I see..." Kyoko looked up at the huge sign that spelled out in stylish letters, 'R Mandy'. "Well then, let's go!" Kyoko grabbed Moko's arm and pulled her into the store.

"Wah," Kyoko's eyes sparkled brightly, "So many beautiful clothes."

"Excuse me, may we help you?"

Two saleswomen, who looked to be in their twenties looked at them enquiringly, Moko stepped in and introduced them.

"Yes, I'm Kotonami Kanae, and this is Mogami Kyoko. We're looking for something formal to wear to Dark Moon's celebration party next week.

The women looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to them and smiled, "Right this way, ladies."

As they were walking towards the back of the store, Moko caught sight of an emerald green dress that, in her mind, would fit Kyoko perfectly. 'I'll pick that one then.'

_"Fine, then let me put it this way. We'll each choose a dress for her. I'll pay for it regardless of which one she chooses to buy as a reward for doing so well in her debut drama."_

Moko inwardly smiled, 'I win.' She took the emerald dress off the clothing racks and called to Kyoko, who was a bit ahead of her. "Kyoko chan, I found something for you!" She closed the distance between them and held the dress up for her to see, "What do you think?"

Kyoko's eyes widened, "I want to try it on!"

Moko laughed and shoved her into one of the fitting rooms, where the two saleswomen helped her with the dress.

"Moko san!" Kyoko's voice called out, with a hint of nervousness, "It's a bit...low..."

Moko snickered at Kyoko's shyness, "You're finished changing right? Then come out and show me!"

Kyoko's head popped out of the curtains separating the fitting room from the outside, "Promise me you won't laugh."

"Idiot, of course I won't laugh! I was the one who picked it out after all!"

Kyoko's face flushed a bit, "Yeah...alright then..." She slowly came outside, "Well?"

Moko looked at her critically for a moment, then smiled, "It looks really good on you." She wasn't exaggerating either. The rich emerald green color provided a pleasant contrast to her pale skin, and the long slit on the left side of the skirt which allowed for more freedom of movement made her legs look a mile long.

"B-but, the back..." Kyoko turned around. The fact that it was a sleeveless V-neck which was held up by the spaghetti straps tied in a small bow at the nape of her neck meant that her back from her neck to her waist was almost completely bare. "There's nothing there!"

"Don't worry about it, a lot of dresses are made like that, and it fits you really well."

Kyoko bit her lip and looked at herself in the mirror next to the fitting room, "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Excuse me." Both of them turned to look at one of the saleswomen helping them. "If you're not sure about that dress, please try this one on." She held up a black and white dress.

Kyoko turned to look at Moko with puppy dog eyes, "Can I?"

Moko huffed and muttered in a slightly irritated tone, "Go ahead."

Kyoko clapped her hands and smiled, making Moko smile back involuntarily. 'Damn it. That must be the one HE chose...'

She went back into the fitting room to change, leaving Moko to stew in her frustration. But after she didn't come back out a few minutes later, Moko called out, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing! I'll be right out!" 'Oops, I started daydreaming again, but with this dress, I can't help it!'

"Mo! How long are you planning...to take..." Moko's words trailed off as Kyoko stepped out of the fitting room.

Kyoko shyly patted the skirt of the dress downwards, "Well, what do you think?"

Moko stared at Kyoko in shock, speechless.

Kyoko waved her hand in front of Moko's face, "Moko saaan. What's wrong?"

Moko shook her head clear of the stupor seeing Kyoko had sent her into. "It's nothing. I'm just at a loss for words at the moment..."

A few feet away from them, a clerk came out of the storage room with a few boxes and handed them to the saleswoman who had had Kyoko try on the current dress ( the other saleswoman had disappeared somewhere), pointing to the longer box. The saleswoman nodded and thanked him for his help before going back to Kyoko's side.

"Mogami sama? These are the accessories that go with that dress." She opened the first box and took out a pair of black heels. "Please put these on first."

Kyoko, looking a bit bewildered and excited all at once, said eagerly, "Yes, right away!" She sat in a nearby chair and put on the shoes. The open toed criss-cross design of the shoes, as well as the black ribbons that criss-crossed halfway to her knees, complemented the dress nicely and added to the aura of elegance that the dress created.

Kyoko giggled as she tied the ribbons, 'I get to wear such pretty shoes too! I wonder what's in the other two boxes though...'

As soon as Kyoko was done, the saleswoman opened the second box, "These are meant to be the most important accessory. We hope they please you." A pair of white silk elbow gloves shined brilliantly under the fluorescent lights.

Kyoko tentatively took them from the saleswoman, for they looked extremely fragile. As she carefully put the first one on, the silkiness fascinated her, and she ran her fingers over its surface several times before she got around to the second one. As indicated by their name, they stopped just below the elbow, which left only the upper part of her arms bare, as the dress was sleeveless.

She looked longingly at the third box, as if she couldn't bear to wait any longer to see what was inside.

The saleswoman smiled at the look of anticipation on Kyoko's face and opened the third box, holding up a white silk wrap that was just this side of transparent. The saleswoman demonstrated how to drape it over her shoulders and wrap it once around her arms, so that the ends gently fell in the crook of each elbow.

The saleswoman then led her to the mirror and stepped back, obviously pleased.

Kyoko's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed bright red as she pointed at her reflection, "Hime sama," She turned her head to look at Moko, while still pointing at her reflection.

Moko slowly nodded her head, speechless once more at the effect of the dress, now combined with the other accessories.

Kyoko clasped her hands in front of her and turned back to the mirror, completely overwhelmed by the joy that was consuming her. 'Hime sama, I really look like hime sama from those fairytales!'

Suddenly, she turned to the saleswoman and grabbed her hands, her emotions written clearly on her face. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She exclaimed with happy tears in her eyes as she rapidly shook her hands.

The saleswoman smiled brightly, "I'm glad you like it."

Kyoko stilled and lowered her head for a moment, then looked up and hesitantly asked, "How much does it cost?"

The saleswoman looked surprised, but quickly regained composure, "It's already been paid for."

"Eh?" Kyoko's face blanked in a child-like manner. "I'm not quite sure I heard you right, um, can you say that again?"

"It's already been paid for."

Kyoko frowned, still looking extremely confused. She looked at Moko, who had turned away from her and appeared to be looking through the clothing racks for something to try on herself.

Still looking at Moko, she asked slowly, "Who paid for it?"

"Tsuruga sama." The saleswoman replied matter-of-factly.

She whipped her head back around to stare at the saleswoman, "Tsuruga sama, as in, Tsuruga Ren?"

"Y-yes, that's correct." The poor saleswoman started to shake under Kyoko's intense stare.

Kyoko grabbed the saleswoman's arms, preventing her escape. "Please, you must tell me how much it cost! There's no way I could accept such a gift! I have to pay him back!"

The grudge Kyokos awoke and curled around the saleswoman's body. *tell us, you must tell us, if you value your life, tell us...*

The saleswoman, terrified, fell into a dead faint. The grudge Kyokos still held her up however, so Kyoko just sat her down in the chair she had been using a few minutes ago.

'I guess I'll have to call Tsuruga san directly then, there's just no way I could accept something like this!'

She grabbed her cell phone from her purse and started to dial Ren's number when Moko appeared next to her and snapped her cell phone shut.

"Moko san..."

A/N: Wow, I did not expect this part of the story to span over so many chapters, but I can't help it, it's needed for later on in the story, and I'm not going to give the details of the design of the Kyoko's dress until the party, you'll just have to make do with the hints I gave and the accessories, well I already did pretty much write most of the description already, so it should be fine, haha. ^^ I appreciate very much, and am very thankful towards everyone who takes the time to read this fanfic. ^^


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: As per arethreanynottaken's request, I'll state the time line clearly. The story started on Thursday, February 8th, then the shopping with Moko occurs on Saturday, February 10. The photo shoot is from Tuesday, February 13th to Thursday, February 15th. Ren's Birthday is on February 13th (in my fanfic only, it hasn't said yet in the actual manga!) and the party will be on Saturday, February 17th. I hope that clears up any misunderstandings. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip beat! or any of it's characters, I just own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 7

Moko took the phone and held it out of reach.

"Moko san, what are you doing?"

'I don't know, but, I know I don't want to lose to that guy! I hate that you preferred his choice over mine! Aren't I supposed to be your best friend?! You won't choose mine whether or not you accept his gift or not, so I might as well make him owe me a favor...' Moko inwardly grimaced, but gave a stern look to Kyoko outwardly. "Have you already forgotten when the next time you see Tsuruga san is?"

Kyoko blanched, "I haven't forgotten, but-"

"Just imagine how someone would feel having their gift rejected on their birthday. On top of that, didn't you say you wanted to do your best on Tuesday so as not to inconvenience him on his birthday? It'd probably hurt him more than you doing poorly at the photo shoot!"

Kyoko fidgeted and bit her lip, 'Ow...' "What if I asked to pay him back on Wednesday?"

Moko threw Kyoko a dirty look, "Why don't you ask yourself that question?"

Kyoko blushed in embarrassment. 'Of course I can't do that. Waiting that long before mentioning it would be highly disrespectful.' "But there's just no way I can accept something like this, I have to pay him back!"

"He hasn't actually bought the dress yet, but he's going to since you chose it though."

Kyoko looked at her suspiciously, "How would you know if Tsuruga san's already paid for it or not?"

"Tsuruga sama bought it about half an hour ago." The other saleswoman intruded into the conversation, having come back unnoticed.

"What?!" Moko's outburst startled Kyoko, who seemed confused as to why she was angry all of a sudden.

'That bastard tricked me. He thought all along that he'd win. How dare he?!'

"Tsuruga sama specified that regardless of whether Mogami sama chose his or Kotonami sama's choice, he wanted her to have this dress as a reward for doing so well in her debut drama, Dark Moon."

"Moko san's...choice?" Kyoko's eyes seemed to boring holes into Moko's body as she said, "So Moko san... planned this out with Tsuruga san?!"

Moko crossed her arms and huffed, "It wasn't my plan. Tsuruga san just asked me to go along with it." Moko turned away from Kyoko and muttered, "I was sure you'd pick the one I chose for you too..." 'Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!' Moko forcefully gave Kyoko back her cell phone. 'No, no, I have to be calm, have to be calm... I'll still be in a better position if he owes me a favor. Plus, if the only reason she accepts his gift is because of me, then I win!' Moko's features softened into a more neutral expression, "Just think of it this way, you wanted him to be happy on his birthday, right? He'll be extremely pleased if you are happy with his gift, but probably be in a bad mood if you reject it."

Kyoko pondered Moko's words. 'She has a point. I'd already decided to do everything well so as not to ruin his birthday, and if I tell him I'm happy with it on Tuesday, he'll be in a good mood."

"...with that director."

Kyoko blinked innocently, "Sorry Moko san, I wasn't listening, can you repeat that?"

Moko sighed, "Mo! You always do this! I said, the last thing you'd want this Tuesday is Tsuruga san mad at you, especially with that director. You did say his name was Director Takumi, right?"

Kyoko slowly nodded.

Moko huffed in irritation, "I've heard that he's quite a playboy. Apparently, he especially likes to come on to his female models. Do you really want to deal with that alone?"

Kyoko started to shiver, violently shaking her head no as she remembered what had happened at Karuizawa when Ren had been away. She hung her head and said in a wispy voice, "I'll accept the dress."

Moko gazed upon Kyoko's trembling form with a hint of pity in her eyes, but quickly erased it from her expression. 'Sorry Kyoko chan, but I can't forgive Tsuruga san that easily. I wasn't going to say this, but...'

"Hopefully, no, most likely he wouldn't hit on me, I'm a talento, not a model." The tremor in her voice gave away her trepidation.

Moko sighed, "But you _will_ be modeling for him for three days. To put it simply, he doesn't just hit on models, but if you do model for him, it's almost guaranteed he'll look your way."

Kyoko looked at Moko in shock, 'I agreed to work with this kind of person?!'

"Well, you can't back out of it now, so I suggest you stay as close to Tsuruga san as possible for those three days, otherwise you'll be like a little lamb all alone who, unfortunately, has caught the attention of the big bad wolf."

* * *

Kyoko put the cake in the pre-heated oven and set the timer, "Good, almost there." She leaned back onto the counter. 'Tomorrow's finally Tsuruga san's birthday...' She flinched as she recalled what Moko had told her about Director Takumi on Saturday night.

_I've heard he's quite a playboy. Apparently he especially likes to come on to his female models."_

'Playboy...' Kyoko face hardened with anger, 'I hate playboys. They all remind me of that baka.' She ground her fist into her other hand at Shotaro's memory. 'No! I don't want to think of that baka now!' She deliberately retraced her steps. 'Playboy... well, Tsuruga san will be there, so everything should be okay.' Kyoko took a deep breath and sighed, tilting her head backwards. 'I can't disappoint Tsuruga san tomorrow, especially not on his birthday.'

The timer went off, leaving Kyoko to take the cake out of the oven. She set the cake down on the table and set the decorative supplies next to it.

She smiled faintly as she played with the red glaze, reminding her of Moko's dress. In the end, Moko had chosen a crimson dress that was similar to the green one she had picked out for Kyoko, only with criss-crossing ribbons on the back, and it wasn't a halter V-neck. Kyoko pouted, 'Moko san wouldn't let me see her in her dress, how mean... I guess I'll just have to wait till Saturday.' She smiled happily, 'I'm sure Moko san will look beautiful!'

After the cake cooled down, she set to work decorating it, which took about an hour because of how carefully and slowly she was working. Finally, she put down the red glaze container, and looked at her mini work of art. 'I hope Tsuruga san will like it.'

She giggled softly and put the cake into a white cake box, leaving it to cool in the refrigerator. "Yosh! All done!" She looked at the clock. "9:30... Well, I guess I'll go to sleep early then." She stiffened, but forced her body to relax. 'I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Tsuruga san will be there too.' The words ran through her mind over and over like a mantra as she climbed the stairs to her room.

* * *

_"Ren, I expect you to watch over Kyoko chan,"_

Ren bowed his head as he sat with his back to the bed. 'Of course I will. Kyoko's not the kind of girl that pays attention to men, but...' He raised his eyes to glare at the wall, 'I don't think I could stand the sight of that guy flirting with her!' He stood up to turn off the lights and lightly touched the wall with his fist, 'Like hell I'll allow it!'

A'N: Finally I finished this part! ^^ While I loved writing it, I'm really glad we're finally moving on to the photo shoot and Ren's birthday, yay! ^^ I thank everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic, I really appreciate it. ^^


	8. Chapter 8

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Okay, finally on to the modeling arc! ^^ I thank everyone who took the time to read, review, and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts. Don't have much to say except that I hope you like it. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters, I just own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 8

Kyoko came rushing out of Darumaya with her bag and a small cooler in hand. "I'm so sorry I kept you waiting Tsuruga san!"

Ren smiled as he leaned against his car. "Don't worry about it. I just got here a bit early is all." He caught sight of the small cooler and looked at her curiously, "What's in the cooler?"

Kyoko blushed lightly, causing Ren's curiosity to go up a notch. Kyoko gripped the strap of the cooler tightly and turned away slightly, still blushing, "It's a secret."

Ren frowned, disturbed now by Kyoko's reaction.

Kyoko panicked at seeing Ren's displeasure, "Ah! No! It's not that I'm keeping a secret from you! It's just that, uh, I'll tell you after the photo shoot today! So please don't be angry with me!"

Seeing Kyoko's anxiously earnest expression made Ren break out into a light laugh, "Alright then."

Kyoko relaxed, relieved that the tense aura around Ren had dissipated, "Um, can I keep this in the trunk for now?"

Ren nodded and opened the trunk, "Go ahead."

Kyoko smiled, "Thank you!" Taking note of her surroundings, she frowned in confusion. "Where's Yashiro san?"

Ren closed his eyes. "Apparently he had some business that has to be done today, so he won't be joining us." 'At least make up a better excuse next time, Yashiro san.'

"Ah, okay then."

They drove towards the photo shoot location in relative silence, but as they drew closer and closer to their destination, Ren noticed Kyoko becoming visibly more nervous. "Is something the matter?"

Kyoko jumped at the sound of Ren's voice. She took a deep breath and asked, "Tsuruga san, have you ever worked with Director Takumi before?"

Ren tensed ever so slightly, "No, I haven't."

"Oh..." Kyoko deflated, "Then, do you know of his reputation?"

Ren tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white, and bit out, "Yes."

Kyoko started to fidget, her nervousness increasing.

Ren calmed down a little and noticed Kyoko's increased agitation. "Does it bother you?"

"What?" Kyoko turned to look at Ren.

"His reputation, does it bother you?"

Kyoko looked away and whispered, so softly that Ren almost missed it, "Kind of..."

Ren smiled tightly, "You have nothing to worry about."

Kyoko looked at Ren disbelievingly as they arrived at the photo shoot location.

As they walked onto the set, an extremely charismatic looking man walked up to them, his dark blue eyes twinkling brightly, complementing his short jet-black hair and pale skin perfectly. As he drew closer, it became apparent that he was almost as tall as Ren, his long legs encased in stylish black slacks, and his broad shoulders covered by a black silk, open-necked polo shirt.

Kyoko bowed, "Hello, my name is Mogami Kyoko, I look forward to working with you!"

The gleam in his eyes intensified as he aimed a charming smile in Kyoko's direction, sending a chill down her spine.

"Welcome, my name is Takumi Ikuto, I look forward to working with you as well."

Kyoko's eyes widened in surprise. 'I thought he was a model with those looks. Well, you can't always judge by appearances in this industry...'

While Kyoko was lost in thought, Takumi took the chance to move closer to Kyoko. He tilted her head up with the tips of his fingers. Caught off-guard, Kyoko could only stand there silently as he leaned in and spoke in a soft, low tone, "I'm especially grateful to be able to work with a beauty such as yourself, Kyoko." Kyoko's eyes widened as she froze, unable to look away from those mesmerizing blue eyes that drew ever closer.

Next to her, a hand shot out and grabbed Takumi's wrist tightly, forcing him to let go of Kyoko's face. Takumi's expression changed to one of irritation as he looked to see who had interrupted them, only to find a man smiling brightly at him, with a frightening tension about him that seemed at odds with his expression.

His hand slid from his wrist to grasp his hand tightly in a handshake, "Hello, my name is Tsuruga Ren." The man slid his arm around Kyoko's shoulder, irritating him further, "Please take good care of us."

Kyoko's eyes darted back and forth between the two men, uncomfortable with Ren's arm around her shoulder, but at the same time grateful that the Director had backed off.

Ren's smile brightened even more, blinding Kyoko while her anger antenna went crazy. *This dark feeling is so nice...* Several of the grudge Kyoko's circled around Ren. *It's coming from over here, right here is where this wonderful anger is coming from...*

Indeed, Kyoko could feel Ren's anger washing over her in mind-numbing waves as Director Takumi smirked and turned to Kyoko, pointedly ignoring Ren as he bowed and locked eyes with her, "Oh, don't worry, I intend to take very good care of you." Without once looking back at Ren, he lightly caressed Kyoko's cheek before signaling to one of the staff to take care of them.

Ren's hand tightened on Kyoko's shoulder, making her wince. "If possible, try not to ever be alone with him."

Kyoko shifted her shoulders and Ren's hand slid off. He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw her discreetly rub her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Kyoko quickly turned to Ren and smiled nervously, "Fine, I'm just fine."

Ren relaxed at her answer and smiled a truly genuine smile at her, "Good, I'm glad."

Kyoko's nervousness melted away and she smiled happily in return. 'Thank god he's not angry anymore.'

"Mogami san?" One of the female staff beckoned.

"Yes?"

"Please come with me, we need to get you changed."

Kyoko looked at Ren, who nodded slightly. She bristled with anticipation and practically skipped over to the female staff.

Ren chuckled at her reaction, but his laughter was cut short as he caught sight of Director Takumi, who was speaking with another male model. He forced himself to look away to maintain his outward peacefulness, although he still unconsciously clenched his fist for a moment before relaxing and going along with the staff member who had appeared alongside him to guide him to his changing rooms.

Director Takumi watched Ren walk away out of the corner of his eye. 'I thought I'd get a good reaction since Takarada san said she was his kouhai,' he smiled, a hint of cruelty in his eyes. 'but this prospect is more than I could have hoped for.'

"Director Takumi?"

He snapped to attention at the sound of the male model calling his name, "Yes, yes, that'll do."

The model nodded his head and took off.

Takumi returned to his musings, absorbed by this little anomaly in his plans. 'I pity you Tsuruga san.' His eyes narrowed as he imagined his two models on the set. 'If my observation was correct, I'll make these three days a living hell for you if it means getting what I want.'

He laughed quietly as he remembered Ren's possessive behavior earlier. 'And I do believe my observation was correct.'

A/N: I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this, you all are awesome, I'd love to hear what you guys think of Director Takumi. ^^ Also, I'd be happy to hear any suggestions for outfits for them, as I don't know how long it'll take me to come up with them all myself, haha. ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Okay, as I told some of my readers I would try to do, I extended this chapter to where I had originally planned to end it (as it ended up to be too much for what I usually write in one chapter, I was thinking about cutting it into two chapters). I spent more time on this chapter, especially editing it, than on any other chapter, so I really hope you like it.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their favorite and story alerts, you guys are awesome. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, but I do own this fanfic and Director Takumi. ^^

Chapter 9

Takumi sat back in a chair as he waited for his models to finish their preparations. 'She really is a plain little thing without make-up, innocent too.' He smiled as he thought back to the frozen expression she had when he had tilted her head up.

_"Kyoko from Dark Moon?" Takumi's eyes gleamed though he kept his voice neutral as he answered, "She'll do very well."_

_"Hmph, I imagine she would. I'll recommend her for 'Human Emotion' on two conditions."_

_"Hmm?" Takumi's eyes grew slightly wary. "And those are?"_

_Lory's eyebrows furrowed as he gave the younger man a stern look. "One, you cannot treat Kyoko like you usually treat your female models. Do not get involved with her. If I find out that you have..._

_Takumi sighed, a bit disgruntled, "And the other condition?"_

_"At least keep in mind her age and profession when choosing her clothing and her poses. Even if you did go overboard, I doubt you'd get the results you wanted."_

_"Alright then, I can adhere to that."_

_"Good, I'll inform Kyoko chan this evening."_

_Takumi leaned back in his chair with an indulgent smirk on his face, "What about Tsuruga Ren?"_

_"..." Lory stared at him silently._

_His smirk widened into a grin. "Nothing?"_

_"..."_

_Takumi let out a low laugh, "Alright, I'll do as I please with that one then."_

_"'That one' can take care of himself just fine without my interference."_

_"Which I take it means that Kyoko chan can't?"_

Takumi eyed Kyoko as she stepped out of her dressing room.

"Much better."

Kyoko was dressed in dark blue designer jeans that fit her thighs snugly and tapered straight down from the knees. A silky white t-shirt clung loosely to her curves and shifted with her every movement. On her feet were pure white socks and stylish white sneakers to compete the look. The make-up artist had done a wonderful job, using natural tones to highlight her eyes and cheekbones, with only a hint of gloss on her lips to give her a fresh faced look that was innocently alluring. Her hair was swept back on the right with criss-crossing hairpins. The rest fell straight as silk that shined gently in the midday sun.

Takumi's expression slowly changed to that of a predator stalking its prey as his eyes gleamed, quietly watching her every movement as she looked around aimlessly. 'Even if I can't have her, surely you wouldn't begrudge me a little play time with this little toy in front of me, right Takarada san?'

Takumi caught Kyoko's eye and motioned for her to join him. Kyoko hesitated, glancing at the door of Ren's dressing room a few feet away, remembering his warning from earlier.

Her eyes widened slightly in relief as Ren opened the door, only to freeze as he caught sight of her waiting for him.

Ren was dressed similarly to Kyoko, also wearing dark blue designer jeans that traveled loosely down his long legs. A black t-shirt fit snugly on his torso, emphasizing his broad shoulders and lean frame. A pair of black socks and shoes became visible as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. His hair was styled to look more relaxed than usual, giving him a casually masculine appeal.

Kyoko smiled and motioned to Director Takumi, who had stood up, waiting for them.

As the two of them drew closer, Takumi's face settled into a neutral expression, completely different from when he had first walked up to them.

"I don't know how much Takarada san said about 'Human Emotion,' so I'll just start from the beginning." He grabbed a pen from his pocket and got a piece of paper from a staff member nearby.

"'Human Emotion' will be a photo album that puts several varying emotions on display by looking at different stages of a relationship between a man and a woman."

He drew a horizontal line through the paper lengthwise.

"You can think of it as a storyline between the main characters being, uh-"

Kyoko shot her hand up, with an earnestly serious expression on her face.

Takumi smiled inwardly at her antics. "Yes, Kyoko?"

Ren's expression hardened slightly at Takumi's familiar use of Kyoko's name.

"Can we call them A-ko and B-kun?"

Both Takumi and Ren snickered at her suggestion, although Ren's voice was almost inaudible. "Alright, we'll go with A-ko and B-kun then."

Kyoko smiled happily and put her hand back down, standing primly.

Takumi shook his head slightly to focus his thoughts and continued. "Okay, the main characters, A-ko and B-kun start off as friends who are attracted to each other, eventually fall in love and are extremely happy with one another. However, B-kun starts feeling insecure about their relationship and tends to be extremely jealous of anyone else that A-ko interacts with.

Later on, another man, we'll call him C-san," Takumi mentally rolled his eyes. "starts to show interest in A-ko, causing B-kun to become extremely possessive of A-ko. A-ko becomes angry at B-kun for not trusting her, and hates how B-kun starts to try and control her actions regarding C-san, ending up in a huge fight, hurting both of them. Both A-ko and B-kun feel sad about their words and actions and end up reconciling in the end."

Takumi took a deep breath, "Okay, so to make a long story short," He started to make a timeline, marking and writing from left to right: friendship, love, happiness/joy, jealousy, possessiveness, anger/hate, sad/hurt, comfort/reconciliation. "These are the relational aspects and emotions you'll be portraying." His eyes shifted to Ren. "Your role is especially important in the middle stages B-kun. I shouldn't need to tell you not to only portray the emotion with your body, but with your eyes and your expressions as well." 'If not, I'll force it out of you.'

Ren nodded seriously, "Of course."

"Then let's get to it." Both men turned to Kyoko, only to find her turned to stone, crumbling before their very eyes.

"Mogami san, what's wrong?"

'I have to act like a couple with Tsuruga san?! No!!! Why didn't the President mention this earlier?! Oh, wait, he did.' Kyoko came back to life and started pounding her fist against a nearby pillar. 'Why, why didn't I pay closer attention to what he was saying?! Baka baka baka!'

Ren grabbed Kyoko's arm lightly, effectively limiting her movements. "Mogami san, calm down," He sighed and leaned towards her, forcing her to look him in the eye. "If you're worried about the context, just calm down. You'll do fine."

Kyoko looked at Ren disbelievingly, but Ren firmly repeated, "You'll do fine."

'I can't disappoint Tsuruga san, especially not today, but I don't think I can do this...'

"You'll do fine. Just think of A-ko as a character you're acting out. Since there's no background except that she's friends with B-kun, you can create her out of scratch and go from there."

'Tsuruga san's trying so hard to get me to cheer up, if I don't at least try, I really will be an inconsiderate, useless kouhai.' Kyoko bowed deeply, "I'm truly sorry for worrying you. I'll try my best to do well."

Ren smiled. "Good." He let go of Kyoko's arm and started to step back when Kyoko suddenly stood up straight again, hitting her head against Ren's chin.

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she'd done. She consciously took a step back and started to go down into a dogeza. "I'm so so-"

Ren stopped her before she hit the ground. "It's fine, don't do a dogeza, you didn't hit me that hard."

Kyoko's face paled and she immediately bowed several times, (although she refrained from going into a dogeza.) "I'm so sorry for hurting you Tsuruga san! Such a worthless person like me shouldn't be allowed to live!"

Ren sighed, "Stop bowing, it's fine. As I said earlier, you didn't even hit me that hard."

Kyoko looked up, teary-eyed. "Really?"

Ren smiled and tilted his head upwards, tapping the spot on his jaw that had bumped into Kyoko's head. "See? It's not even red."

Kyoko relaxed, relieved that she hadn't done any serious harm to Ren. "I'm so glad."

Takumi cleared his throat, startling the two of them. "You two about done? We need to get started soon."

Kyoko blushed profusely, embarrassed that she was the cause of the delay. "Yeah, we're done."

"Good." Takumi said brusquely. "Follow me."

He led them to the back of the set. "We'll be photographing you two on set later on." He opened the back door to reveal a beautiful park, with a small beach attached to it in the background. "For the first few stages, we've rented certain areas of the park and beach. The equipment was set up before you two arrived, so you two can enjoy the scenery later on."

They quickly walked down a path lined with enormous trees that, though they were in the midst of winter, still managed to hold onto their beautiful green leaves.

A few minutes later, the path opened up to reveal a flat, circular open space, paved with stones that gleamed a dull gray. In the middle was an old stone fountain that shot out water in all directions, forming a beautiful curtain of tiny droplets that sparkled when the light hit it just right.

A foot or so outward from the fountain was a stone border surrounding it, about 3 or so inches high, giving the fountain an air of isolation.

Takumi motioned for them to stand in front of the fountain. "I'll have you two freestyle for most of the shoot, however, there are a few specific poses I'll have you do first."

Guided by Takumi's instructions, Kyoko stepped up onto the stone border, facing the camera with Ren positioned behind her. Because of the enormous difference in height, even by being on higher ground, Kyoko's head still fell an inch or so short of Ren's jaw.

Kyoko braced her legs shoulder width apart and leaned her upper body back against Ren. with her left hand perched on her hip.

Ren slid his left arm horizontally between them, pushing lightly against Kyoko's shoulder blades, forcing her to lightly arch her back. His right arm he let rest on top of Kyoko's head, his hand relaxed, dangling a few inches away from her ear. Lastly, Ren leaned his head forward just enough to settle his chin on top of his right arm, looking straight at the camera with a bemused look on his face while Kyoko's eyes and the edge of her mouth tilted upwards in a sign of friendly exasperation.

"Very nice." Takumi murmured as he began his work. "Kyoko, tuck in your stomach for a few seconds."

Kyoko tried her best to do so without affecting her expression, but a tiny frown of concentration still showed on her face, adding an air of minute frustration.

"Good." Takumi smiled, "Alright, next pose."

Ren shifted so that he was back to back with Kyoko, his arms went around her waist as he lightly grabbed his wrists.

Kyoko leaned against Ren's back, hands behind her head, with a look of pure arrogance written on her face. Her right leg was slightly bent so that she looked as if she were resting against a wall rather than a person.

Ren tilted his head back and to the right so that his face was showing diagonally, with heavy-lidded eyes, and a tiny smirk showing.

'Hmm. That should do it for the specific poses. Let's see how well they do with freestyle...'

Takumi signaled that they could freestyle a moment later. Ren immediately stepped in front of Kyoko, who was still on the stone border, and stretched his arm behind him, putting his arm on Kyoko's shoulder, forcing his body to take a wide spread stance.

He leaned down to whisper in Kyoko's ear, "Relax, don't stand so stiffly..."

"Hmph." Kyoko consciously relaxed her body, clasping her hands behind her back. The weight of Ren's arm pushed her shoulders down a bit, while his hand played with a piece of her hair.

A small smile played on her lips as she lifted her head proudly.

Ren turned back to the camera, but his eyes never left Kyoko's face.

After freezing for a few seconds, Ren lifted Kyoko up, startling her into putting her hands against his chest, but Ren merely set her down next to him a moment later so that she was on level ground with him, his hands still on her waist.

Kyoko completely blanked, unsure as to what to do now. 'I don't get it. What do I do now?' Kyoko tilted her head to the side, but Ren remained still. 'What am I supposed to do, Tsuruga san?'

"Laugh."

Kyoko eyes almost popped out of her head in her surprise. "Huh?"

"I said, laugh."

Kyoko started laughing awkwardly, causing Takumi to shake his head, as her face now showed nervousness and uncertainty.

Ren sighed, "Not like that," He thought for a moment. "Let's see, try this. Pretend that I'm Kotonami san."

Kyoko's brows furrowed in confusion, "Moko...san?" All of a sudden, in her mind's eye, she pictured Moko's face in place of Ren's, with her trademark, "Mo!"

"Pffft, hahahahaha!" Kyoko threw her head back and started laughing so hard that Ren had to tighten his hold on her so she wouldn't fall.

Ren looked at Kyoko with a genuine smile on his face, although gradually, moment by moment, his eyes grew not so gentle.

Takumi smirked as he noticed the change in Ren. 'Ah ah ah, not yet. We're not there yet, Tsuruga san.' "Alright, we're done for now, go take a short break. We'll be switching to a different location soon."

After making sure Kyoko, who was still giggling, was steady on her feet, Ren immediately let go of her and stalked to the other side of the fountain. Not quite hiding himself from view, but enough to where he could let his guard down, if only for a little while.

He ran his hand over his face and covered his eyes for a moment. Afterwards, letting his hand fall limply at his side as he gazed at the sky, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"Damn it."

A/N: I didn't realize until after I posted chapter 8, that I hadn't given you the specifics of 'Human Emotion' yet, so I apologize for asking about clothing, although it should be easier to recommend clothing now, right? Also, if anyone has any recommendations for poses, I might not use the exact pose, but it might give me an idea for multiple other poses, that's just how I work, haha.^^ I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic.


	10. Chapter 10

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, this chapter was tons of fun to write, you'll find out why when you read it, haha. ^^ Thank you all for taking the time to review, favorite and put this story on your story alerts, and for even taking your time to help me with the clothes and poses, you all are awesome! ^^

Dedication: To momirousagichan. I wouldn't have been able to think up this ending if I hadn't talked to you about that particular scene, so thank you so much. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters. But I do own Director Takumi, haha. ^^

Chapter 10

Kyoko gradually stopped laughing, still left with a big smile on her face. 'Oh, I got to tell Moko san about this later!' She turned to the left and opened her eyes. "Eh?!"

She looked around the clearing, seemingly alone. 'Maybe they've already left for the next location?'

Question marks appeared around Kyoko's head as she walked around a little in the clearing. Just as she was about to call out to see if anyone was around, she heard footsteps behind the fountain.

Not really comprehending why, she crouched down beside the fountain, peeking over to see who was there.

"Tsuruga san," she breathed, unable to bring herself to disturb him. His face was turned up to the sky for a moment before seeing Takumi standing right next to him, making his eyes widen in surprise.

Takumi's eyes were cold and calculating as he quietly asked, "Is that your limit?"

Ren averted his eyes and stayed facing forward.

Takumi's eyes narrowed, "The first stage will last at least another hour. I'll ask again. Is that your limit?"

Ren smiled his gentlemanly smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Takumi looked down at Ren with scorn. "I didn't think you'd be such a coward, you're pathetic." 'This kind of person isn't worth toying with.'

Kyoko couldn't stay still any longer. Before Ren could open his mouth to retort back, Kyoko jumped out into plain view and shouted, "How dare you say that?! Tsuruga san is not pathetic or a coward! Take it back!" Her grudge Kyokos swirled around her, murmuring, *I'll curse you... Take it back or I'll curse you and your descendants!*

Takumi's face settled into a bemused expression as he walked towards Kyoko. "Alright, I'll take it back, for now." His gaze flicked to Ren before going back to Kyoko.

Using his back to hide their faces from Ren, a wicked smiled formed on Takumi's face. "You know, you're cute when you're angry too." He brushed a light kiss on her cheek before walking past her.

Kyoko's eyes burned with indignation as she waited for Takumi to walk out of sight before sending a grudge Kyoko after him.

A few seconds later, a loud thump was heard in the direction Takumi had gone in.

Kyoko wiped her hand across her cheek and glared triumphantly as her grudge Kyoko came back to her with a satisfied smirk on its face.

Kyoko turned around to find Ren watching her.

He quietly asked, "How long were you there for?"

Kyoko looked down in shame, "About when you and Director Takumi started talking." She didn't want to think about the frustration she had seen in his eyes right before he had caught sight of Takumi.

"Ah, I see..."

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before Ren's eyes sharpened. "Why do you keep rubbing your cheek?"

Kyoko blushed and looked away, keeping her hands behind her back, "No reason in particular..." involuntarily flicking her gaze to where Takumi had left.

Ren's eyes narrowed and gleamed brightly as he closed the distance between them. "What did he do?"

Kyoko's eyes widened in fear as she felt almost suffocated by the intense anger emanating from Ren. Her grudge Kyokos, which hadn't withdrawn, surrounded Ren's body almost lovingly. *So nice over here, this anger feels so nice...*

"Tell me. What did he do to you?"

Compelled by the intensity on Ren's eyes, before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "He k-ki-" but closed her mouth shut as his mask completely disappeared.

He lightly touched the spot on her cheek she had been rubbing at unconsciously earlier.

In a low whisper, that Kyoko had to strain to hear, he asked, "He kissed you...here?"

Unable to look him in the eye any longer, she turned her head away and nodded slightly.

"Well now, we can't have that, now can we?" Before Kyoko could react, Ren grabbed her chin lightly and kissed her in the same exact spot Takumi had.

Kyoko turned bright red, steam coming out the top of her head in one big puff. 'Tsuruga san just...just...'

On seeing Kyoko's frozen expression, Ren immediately became concerned, pulling his mind back into the character Tsuruga Ren.

"We need to move on to the next location."

Ren's head snapped up to see Takumi standing a few feet away. "Alright."

The next hour and a half went by like a blur for Kyoko, who, once they had arrived at the next location, dove into the character of A-ko for mental protection, going through pose after pose after pose.

Kyoko finally came back to life when Takumi clapped his hands loudly. "Alright, we're done with stage one. Go back to the set and get a late lunch. We'll be going to the beach for stage two in about an hour or two."

Kyoko blinked rapidly for a few second, taking in the new scenery for the first time. She sat up from the park bench where she had been reclining, Ren had already moved a few feet away to give her space.

This time, instead of stone beneath her feet, soft green grass swayed gently in the wind. Rows of trees served as a beautiful background, with a few shrubs close by.

Kyoko followed Takumi and Ren back to the set. Staring at the two men's backs made the memories from a few hours ago flood back into her mind.

Kyoko started to shake her head furiously. 'There's no way Tsuruga san could have kissed me, it's not possible.'

A tiny little voice in the back of her head whispered, 'But he did, you can't deny it.'

'Oh yes I can. There's no reason why Tsuruga san could have kissed me. Yeah, he kissed Takumi san! Since they both kissed the same spot on my cheek, they indirectly kissed each other.' Kyoko smiled happily with relief. 'I was just the medium.'

They arrived back at the set where the staff was waiting for them with boxed lunches.

Kyoko thanked them for the food, but hesitated for a second to decide what she should do. 'I have to sit with Tsuruga san, I promised the President that I would make sure he eats well...' She took a deep breath and marched up to the table where Ren was sitting and forcefully set down her lunch, startling Ren for a moment.

"Mogami san."

"Make sure you eat all the food they gave you." She faked a cheerful smile and sat down opposite Ren.

Ren heaved a small sigh and looked Kyoko in the eye, a rather serious expression evident on his face. "Mogami san."

"Yes?" Kyoko stared at him, a naively innocent look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... for earlier..."

Kyoko blinked twice. "Sorry for what?"

Ren looked a little uncomfortable before his face smoothed into his usual mask. He inhaled deeply and said in a voice soft enough that only Kyoko could hear. "I'm sorry...for kissing you on the cheek."

Kyoko shook her head rapidly. "You didn't kiss me."

Ren stared at her in confusion. "Huh?"

Kyoko spoke in a cheerful voice. "You didn't kiss me, you kissed Director Takumi. Since you both kissed the same spot, you indirectly kissed each other."

Ren turned green at her conclusion. "That...doesn't make sense." 'I really don't know how it's possible to misconstrue something to that extent.'

Kyoko smiled widely. "Of course it does, because there's no possible reason that you would kiss me."

Ren stared at her, dumbfounded by her logic. "Mogami san?"

"Yes?"

"You do realize I'm straight?"

"Yes."

"Which means I don't like men."

"Of course."

"So why would you consider that an indirect kiss with Director Takumi?"

Kyoko froze. "Uh..."

Ren sighed, "I kissed you because you seemed like you wanted to erase the memory of Director Takumi's kiss, so as your senpai, I thought I'd help out." 'Liar.'

Kyoko relaxed. "Oh, so that's it."

"I apologize for doing so as it seemed to do more harm than good."

"No," Kyoko shook her head and smiled. "It helped."

Ren smiled in satisfaction. "Good, I'm glad."

A/N: I was actually a bit nervous about writing this chapter, although it turned out well in my opinion. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fic, I not only write this for myself, but for you guys, cause I love reading the reactions everyone has to my fic! ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Ren's Birthday

A/N: I had a lot of schoolwork this past week so it took me longer than it was supposed to to finish this chapter. But, it's done now and I have spring break in a week and a half, so hopefully I'll be able to go at a faster pace then. ^^

Oh yeah, just to make note, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited and put this fanfic on their story alerts. As of chapter 10, I now have over 200 reviews and over 100 story alerts. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I really appreciate it.

I dedicate this chapter to every single person who has reviewed and put this fanfic on their story alerts. You guys are awesome! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I do own Director Takumi and this fanfic though (and yes, Director Takumi comes first, haha).

Chapter 11

"Waah, the beach is so pretty!" Kyoko stretched her arms up to the sky as she stared excitedly at the view before her.

It certainly was one of the cleanest beaches in the area, with water so clear that if you were close enough, you could see clear to the bottom. Silky white sand shined brilliantly in contrast to the calm, quiet ocean.

"Yosh! I've got to be more careful from now on. I won't let myself be a burden to Tsuruga san anymore!"

_Ren sighed. "I kissed you because you seemed like you wanted to erase the memory of Takumi's kiss, so, as your senpai, I thought I'd help out."_

_Kyoko relaxed. "Oh, so that's it."_

_"I apologize for doing so as it seemed to do more harm than good."_

_"No." Kyoko shook her head and smiled. "It helped."_

_Ren smiled in satisfaction. "Good, I'm glad."_

_Kyoko shot up onto her feet and slammed her hands down on the table, a sincerely earnest expression on her face. "I won't cause anymore trouble for you Tsuruga san, so that you'll never have to intervene like that again!"_

Takumi looked Kyoko over as he walked up behind her, please with how his choice of a dark blue, high cut one-piece suited Kyoko to a T. It exposed all of her legs, and made them seem a mile long even though she was barefoot. Although the swimsuit was decent, it gave the impression that she was showing more skin than she actually was.

"That swimsuit really does suit you Kyoko." Takumi murmured and went to brush his fingers against the back of her neck when he froze, unable to move.

Kyoko turned around and smiled gracefully. "Thank you for the compliment. Should I get into the water now?"

Takumi spent a considerable amount of effort just to nod, feeling as though something was holding him in place. He watched helplessly as Kyoko walked away from him before he was finally released from his invisible prison.

The grudge Kyokos flew back to Kyoko and circled her continuously, acting like security guards. Kyoko let out the tiny breath she'd been holding in relief and gave herself a small smile. 'I won't let him catch me off-guard again.'

Ren watched the interaction with a closed expression.

_  
Kyoko shot up onto her feet and slammed her hands down on the table, a sincerely earnest expression on her face. "I won't cause anymore trouble for you Tsuruga san, so that you'll never have to intervene like that again!" She bowed so that her head lightly touched the table top. "I'm so sorry you had to go through such an ordeal just to help me out!"_

_The smile immediately left Ren's face, although he was still able to maintain his pleasant facade. "I see..."_

Kyoko blushed lightly for a moment when Ren walked over to her, clad only in black swim trunks. "I-I'll do my best Tsuruga san!"

Ren smiled and nodded slowly. "I know you will."

Kyoko took a deep breath and slowly let it out, slipping back into A-ko's character. 'A-ko really loves B-kun. I really love B-kun.' Kyoko tensed up but forced herself to process what she was telling herself. 'I am A-ko!'

Ren noticed the change in Kyoko and pulled her deeper into the water until it hit her knees.

Takumi quickly instructed the two models on the set poses and they set to work.

Kyoko stood directly in front of Ren, to clearly show the difference in body size.

Ren wrapped his arms around Kyoko's waist and buried his face into the nape of her neck while Kyoko gracefully lifted her right hand to rest at the back of Ren's neck, half closing her eyes as she turned to look at Ren.

Takumi called out as he gazed at them through the lens of his camera. "Tsuruga san, relax your shoulders, you're too tense." He smiled as Ren immediately did as he was told. 'Good boy.'

_Takumi flicked a glance over at Ren as they walked back to the set, with Kyoko trailing behind them. "It looks like I judged you too quickly." 'Which means this won't be so boring after all.' "If that wasn't your limit, why didn't you deny it?"_

_Ren again smiled his gentlemanly smile at Takumi. "I still don't understand what you mean. Would you care to explain it for me?"_

_Takumi smirked. 'So that's how it is.' "Nope, don't have any reason to."_

'Sneaky bastard.'

An hour later, Kyoko's knees almost gave out when Takumi told them to quickly go back to the set to dry off and change into the next outfits.

Ren immediately let go of her and asked. "Are you cold?"

Kyoko laughed nervously. "A little."

Ren put his hand at the small of her back and gently steered her towards the set as quickly as he could, only breaking off the contact once they reached her dressing room.

Kyoko smiled, grateful for the support although discomfited by the fact that she had needed Ren's help again. "Thank you Tsuruga san."

Ren's eyes softened as he murmured, "Go get warm." before going into his own dressing room.

He caught his reflection in the dressing room's enormous mirror and mentally grimaced when he saw his pupils were noticeably dilated. He closed his eyes to clear his mind until he calmed down, pleased when his eyes returned to normal.

When he stepped out of his dressing room, he noticed the sky slowly turning pink, signaling the arrival of sunset.

His outfit suited the changing sky perfectly. Wearing a billowy white long sleeved dress shirt and casual black slacks, the colors in the sky seemed to seep through the material a tad, making Ren seem like he was from another world...

Well, that's what Kyoko thought when she first caught sight of him. Dressed in a sleeveless white sundress, Kyoko complemented him perfectly. Anyone standing near them would have automatically thought they were a well suited couple as they walked together back to the beach, Takumi included, to his amusement.

"Hmmm..." Takumi quietly murmured in a lilting tone of voice as he waited for the "couple" to reach him.

"We only have one last scene for this stage."

Kyoko frowned in confusion. "Scene?"

Takumi smiled at her bewilderment. "I mean a series of poses that's almost like the ending scene in a movie."

Still a bit confused, Kyoko nodded. "Okay then, what kind of scene is it?"

Ren's face went blank as Takumi stated with an anticipatory smile on his face. "A romantic kiss scene of course."

A/N: The first day of modeling is almost over! It would take way too long to go through every single pose, or every single stage in great detail, so I'm just going over the main points, but it seems to be working. ^^ Just curious, what do you guys think would be a good setting for the third stage? ^^ I haven't decided yet (it could be at the beach, in the park, or on set using a staged environment) and I would really appreciate any input you all may have. ^^

edit: just putting this in here since people seem to be misunderstanding. The romantic kiss scene will still be Stage Two, "Love", and i already know how I'm going to do that, what i'm asking about is Stage Three, "Happiness/joy". ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic, I really appreciate it. ^^


	12. Chapter 12

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Don't really have much to say except that I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has read reviewed, favorited, and put this fanfic on their story alerts, thank you all so much! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters. I do own Director Takumi and this fanfic.

Chapter 12

Kyoko and Ren faced each other with the sunset in the background as the pink sky transitioned to orange.

Kyoko trembled slightly in her nervousness. 'At least we won't have to kiss...'

_Ren's face went blank as Takumi stated with an anticipatory smile on his face. "A romantic kiss scene of course."_

_The three were so silent afterwards that you could hear the wind blow across the ocean as a random tumbleweed flew by._

_Slowly, Kyoko's face turned deathly white, almost stumbling backwards in her shock. Looking back and forth between Takumi and Ren, a strangled shriek forcing its way out of her throat as she opened her mouth, "...EH?!?!?!"_

_Takumi's eyes shone brightly. "Yes, Mogami san?"_

_"So we, I, uh, I-I h-have to, um, h-have t-to..." 'I can't say it!' Kyoko struggled to voice her question._

_After observing Kyoko's tortured expression, Ren took pity on her and simply stated, "I think she wants to know if we actually have to kiss."_

_Takumi put on a serious face. "Of course not."_

_Kyoko almost fell over in relief, but made a superhuman effort to catch herself so as not to ruin the pretty clothes._

_"Just follow my instructions." _

"Mogami san?"

Kyoko looked up to see Ren's concerned face only a few inches away, her body twitched violently as she leaned back slightly. "Y-yes?"

Ren's eyes narrowed at Kyoko's need for distance. "Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Good." Ren's face changed to that of Emperor of the Night.

"Eep!"

Ren sighed in exasperation. "Mogami san..."

Kyoko gulped. "I understand..." 'We only have until sundown to finish this scene. If I mess this up...' Images of Ren's frightening anger flashed through her mind. 'No! I don't care what I have to do, I don't want to see that face! Especially not today!' Kyoko's face firmed up into a naively determined expression.

"Mogami san, you need to appear softer, you look like you're going to your execution." Takumi called out in frustration. "We only have about thirty minutes left."

Kyoko flushed dark red in shame and finally slipped into A-ko's character. "Like this?"

Takumi nodded to himself. "Good."

Both Ren and Kyoko put their arms around the other's waist, staring intently into each other's eyes.

A random thought floated through the edges of her mind. 'No wonder Tsuruga san is so popular with women...'

_"You do realize I'm straight?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Which means I don't like men."_

_"Of course."_

_"So why would you consider that an indirect kiss with Director Takumi?" _

Kyoko's eyes widened slightly in a mixture of horror and disbelief at her own actions once she put two and two together. 'No! I can't stop the shoot just to apologize for my own self need for forgiveness! We have less than half an hour left as it is!'

Ren noticed the inner turmoil behind Kyoko's acting and made a note to himself to ask her what was wrong after the shoot.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was still struggling with her inner demons. Finally, the overwhelming urge to apologize immediately won out. 'If I don't apologize now, I'll have to do it right before I give him his birthday present! No! Even if I can't do a dogeza right now, I have to at least apologize!'

Bracing herself for a harsh reprimand later, Kyoko took a deep breath as Takumi signaled for them to switch to the next pose.

Kyoko languidly slid her hands from Ren's waist upwards till they were clasped behind Ren's neck.

Ren's breathing sped up a bit at the feel of Kyoko's small hands touching his bare skin. His hold on her tightened as he pulled her closer till there was only a sliver of space left between them.

Using the smallest movement possible, Kyoko murmured, "I'm so sorry Tsuruga san." Ren tilted his head towards Kyoko's, the Emperor of the Night still out in full force. "And why might that be?"

Kyoko looked down for a moment, a hint of a blush rising to her cheeks. "For making it seem like I thought Tsuruga san is interested in men. I don't think that, not for one second. I didn't mean it like that!"

Ren sighed and lightly caressed her cheek, still mindful of the camera. "I know you didn't. I'm not mad."

Kyoko thought for a moment. 'True, my antenna hasn't gone off at all since then, but still!' "I can't forgive myself for committing such a heinous crime!"

Kyoko's arms unconsciously tightened on Ren's neck, pulling him closer. "Is there I can do to atone for my sins? Please tell me!"

Ren chuckled quietly as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'll think of something."

Kyoko blushed bright red at the feel of Ren's breath fanning her ear. Turning her head slightly, she could see his eyelashes clearly defined in the dimming light as he pulled back to face her. "Alright then." She whispered, the heat in her face increasing.

"Alright, last two poses!" The sound of Takumi's voice snapped Kyoko out of the daze she'd been drifting through.

The sliver of space between them was now gone, as Kyoko was pressed flush against Ren. Kyoko forced herself to remain calm as she went up on her tiptoes and Ren leaned down till there was only just enough room between them to let a tiny beam of light illuminate their faces.

Staring at a close up of the Emperor of the Night, Kyoko almost desperately ran through her mind like a broken record. 'We're not going to kiss, we're not going to kiss, it's just a pose, we're not going to kiss!'

Unbeknownst to Kyoko, who was barely able to keep herself in character, Ren stared at Kyoko's mouth, so close to his own. His pupils dilated to the point that his irises almost disappeared from sight, his breathing becoming shallower and shallower as he fought to keep himself in check.

When they were finally given the signal for the last pose, Ren almost missed seeing it in his stupor.

He slowly let go of Kyoko and turned to face the sunset, his arm finding its way around Kyoko with her head resting on his arm as they watched the sun finally disappear from sight.

Takumi checked his watch, 6:56PM. 'Well, that's enough fun for today.' He snuck up behind them and whispered, "We're done for the day."

Both Ren and Kyoko turned to him with unfocused eyes. "Huh? Oh, okay then..." They said in perfect unison.

'Che.' Takumi walked away with a small smile on his face. 'Didn't work. Oh well...'

Slowly, Ren and Kyoko came to their senses, realizing it was now completely dark. Facing the pathway of small lanterns that led back to the set, Ren turned to Kyoko. "We'd better get back to the set."

Kyoko gave a forced smile, still extremely unsettled by the last scene they'd posed for. "R-right..."

Slowly, slowly, they walked back to the set, the moon finally coming out of hiding.

The moonlight lent an ethereal quality to the dark forest, capturing Kyoko's interest as she looked around dreamily. "The forest really does look different at night."

Ren glanced over at her and smiled gently. "Yeah..."

Kyoko noticed Ren's expression and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

When they finally got back to the set, Takumi walked over to them, an all-business look on his face. "Tomorrow we begin at 6:00AM sharp. Don't be late." And with that, he turned and walked away.

Kyoko checked her watch after she finished changing into her regular clothes. '7:30PM, we should have enough time.'

Ren watched as Kyoko became increasingly agitated the closer they got to his car. "Mogami san, is something the matter?"

"N-no, a-absolutely nothing's wrong! Of course nothing's wrong!" 'I overdid it. That was way too obvious.' Kyoko thought nervously.

Ren looked at her suspiciously as he opened the car door for her. "What's wrong?"

Kyoko looked away, not getting in the car. 'I need to give it to him now.' "Just a little nervous, that's all..."

Ren stared at her quizzically. "Nervous?"

Kyoko forced herself to look Ren in the eye. "Tsuruga san, will you please open the trunk?"

'Trunk?' Ren's eyes lit in understanding as he remembered the small cooler she'd stored in the trunk earlier this morning. "Of course."

Kyoko quickly took out the small cooler and faced Ren. Looking around, she checked to make sure that they were the only ones nearby.

She carefully opened the small cooler and took out the white cake box. "Ts-Tsuruga san! This cake is for you! Happy Birthday!"

Ren stared at the cake box in fascination. "By any chance, did you make this?"

"Hai!" Kyoko handed Ren the cake box and took the drawing out of her folder. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to open the box at the moment, so here's a picture of it."

Ren's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked over the detailed drawing Kyoko had made. "May I keep this as well?"

Kyoko blushed lightly. "Y-yes, of course! A-also, um..."

"Yes?" Ren prompted her.

Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out. "Can I please make you dinner to go with the cake?!"

Hearing no reply, Kyoko slowly opened her eyes only to see the most heavenly smile Ren had ever given her. "Of course."

Smiling widely in relief in spite of her grudge Kyokos dying left and right, Kyoko said firmly, "But we need to go get groceries as I'm assuming you have none, right?"

"Right."

Kyoko sighed. "You really need to change your eating habits."

Ren's eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. "I know."

As they drove to the grocery store, the cake box back in the trunk for now with Kyoko holding onto the drawing, Kyoko bowed as deeply as she could while sitting down and nervously apologized. "I'm sorry I gave you so much trouble today Tsuruga san, even though I promised myself that I wouldn't do anything that would bother you on your birthday..."

Ren gave her a small smile. "It's no trouble Mogami san, you did well for your first day."

Kyoko relaxed in her seat for a moment before jumping up into a very straight sitting position, a light bulb flashing above her head. "Oh, right. What's Tsuruga san's favorite food?"

Ren blanched at the word "food" but recovered quickly. "Let's see, probably... pumpkin curry or clear miso soup."

"Yosh!" Kyoko rolled up pretend sleeves as she said with excitement. "I can make those, no problem!"

Ren's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced over at her. "Eh? Both of them?!"

"Of course!" Kyoko flashed Ren a sweet smile. "After all, it is your birthday."

Ren felt a warm feeling spread throughout his body on seeing Kyoko's smile. "That's true," he said softly.

Once they reached the grocery store, Kyoko bolted into the store before Ren could even open his car door.

By the time he actually got into the store, he found Kyoko waiting eagerly in line at the checkout, her basket full of food.

Ren walked up behind her. "That's a lot of food..."

Kyoko looked up. "So you can have leftovers for later on."

"Ah, okay then..."

Ren insisted on paying for the groceries, much to Kyoko's dismay, but Ren convinced her by saying, "If you're going to be cooking dinner for me, the least I can do is pay for the ingredients."

Seeing that Ren wouldn't back down on this point, Kyoko gave in. "Alright, but I'll pay you back later."

Ren gave her a stern look. "No."

Kyoko protested. "Tsuruga san! But-"

Ren cut in, "Didn't you just say a little while ago that you promised yourself that you wouldn't do anything to bother me on my birthday?"

Kyoko looked around uncomfortably. "Yes..."

"You paying me back later would bother me."

Kyoko pouted childishly. "Fine, I won't pay you back..."

Ren laughed quietly. "Good."

As they walked towards the car, they heard a muffled rumble from above.

Ren looked up, seeing the dark clouds that now obscured the moon. "We'd better hurry, it looks like it's going to rain soon."

"Yeah."

Since the grocery store was only a few blocks away from Ren's apartment, they were able to bring everything in before the rain started.

A/N: Well, things are starting to pick up aren't they? ^^ I'll give the details of the cake next chapter, so yeah. I didn't want to do a typical kiss scene where they actually kiss, this way was much more fun to actually write, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this fanfic and this chapter. I truly appreciate it.


	13. Chapter 13

Ren's Birthday

A/N: This chapter was really hard to write, but I finally finished it, and I think I did a pretty good job. ^^ I really hope you guys like it, I know I do, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites, I really do appreciate it. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters, but Director Takumi is mine! ^^

Chapter 13

Ren stood next to the window, watching as the rain went pitter-patter against the cool glass pane. "Hmm, it looks like it's only a light shower."

"It's still a relief that we were already inside when it started." Kyoko replied, as she bustled around Ren's kitchen, checking on a small pot while chopping up a few sticks of carrot into thick slices.

"True." Ren glanced away from the window, giving the rain one last glance before sitting down on the couch. The drawing on the coffee table caught his eye. Smiling to himself, he reached over to pick it up and study it once more.

He still hadn't seen the actual cake, as Kyoko had put the cake box into the fridge right after they'd brought everything in, but, for now, the drawing sufficed.

Drawn in great detail, the cake seemed to almost be on top of the paper rather than just a rendition of it. She'd even drawn a slice of the cake in the bottom left corner so you could see what it looked like on the inside.

A muffled clatter startled him from his reverie as he looked up to see Kyoko setting down a bowl of clear miso soup in front of him.

Kyoko smiled cheerfully. "The pumpkin curry should be done by the time you finish the miso soup." Standing up, she made to go back to the kitchen when Ren stopped her.

"Mogami san." Ren smiled up at Kyoko and said softly, "Thank you."

Slightly flustered, Kyoko backed away from Ren and rushed back into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "No problem!"

As she reached over to stir the curry, she tried to suck up as much air as possible to sate her starved lungs, her cheeks flushing bright red. 'I must be more tired than I thought.' Thinking back to Ren's smile, she blushed harder. 'That smile should come with a warning label, he shouldn't use it so carelessly.' she thought angrily, 'How would I cook if he'd blinded me just then?!'

Her grudge Kyokos moved around sluggishly, still affected by Ren's smile. Kyoko grabbed a dying grudge Kyoko that was about to fall into the curry and handed it to the other grudge Kyokos to take care of.

Stirring the curry one last time, she took out a small spoon and tasted it. Satisfied it was done, she took out two plates and poured the curry over modest helpings of rice.

'I'll be fine, just fine.' Kyoko thought, as she built the walls around her heart to monstrous proportions.

Taking a deep breath, she marched into the living room with a smile and set the plates down on the table.

"Mogami san, are you okay?"

Kyoko blinked in confusion. "Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Your face seems flushed."

"Eh?" Kyoko put her hands up to her face. Feeling the heat rising from her cheeks, she frowned in confusion. "Must be from stirring the curry..."

"Right..." They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes, the only sound in the room coming from Kyoko as she tried to figure out a way to lighten the mood.

'Oh, right!' "Um, Tsuruga san?"

Ren looked up from his curry. "Yes?"

Kyoko stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you for the dress!"

Ren's eyes lit up in understanding. "I take it you liked it?"

Kyoko eyes sparkled in excitement. "Yes, very much so!"

Deciding to tease her a bit, Ren smirked. "Hmm? Then I'll look forward to seeing you wearing it on Saturday."

Kyoko flushed dark red in embarrassment. "Why?"

"Because I'm sure you'll look very beautiful in it."

Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut, her blush traveling down her neck. "T-that's not w-what I was a-asking!"

Ren arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? Then what were you asking about?"

Kyoko took a deep breath. "Why did you buy that dress for me? Moko san said that you told her that it was because that it was of how well I'd done in Dark Moon, but why a dress?"

Ren shrugged. "It fit the occasion."

"Occasion?"

Ren sighed in exasperation. "The celebration party on Saturday?"

Kyoko looked down. "Oh, right... I was just... extremely surprised when they told me that you'd already bought it for me..."

Ren leaned forward. "You said you liked it, right?"

Kyoko nodded her head. "Yes, very much so!"

Ren smiled. "Then let's leave it at that."

"Alright..." Kyoko said reluctantly. Looking down, she noticed they'd somehow finished eating dinner. "I think I should go get the cake!"

Watching Kyoko's fleeing figure, Ren laughed mentally. 'Maybe I went too far...'

A minute later, Ren watched as Kyoko came in with a small cake, a single candle lay dead center, burning brightly. "You've really outdone yourself, Mogami san." He said appreciatively as she set the cake down in front of him.

Kyoko beamed with pride. "Thank you Tsuruga san! I hope you like it!"

"I'm sure I will." It was a small cake, maybe only half the size of a conventional cake. Circular in shape, it was covered in a very light layer of white icing with a decorative border of mini peach-colored flowers. On the top, in the middle of the beautiful ring of varied fruits were the words, "Happy Birthday Tsuruga Ren!" in clearish red icing.

Ren looked at Kyoko, who had been observing his reaction. "Thank you, Mogami san."

Kyoko smiled widely. "You're welcome Tsuruga san. Now make a wish and blow out the candle!"

"Eh?" Ren looked at her in surprise, then thought for a moment. A hint of a smile appearing briefly before vanishing into the sparkle in his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to sing 'Happy Birthday' first?" He said jokingly.

"Oh, okay..." Kyoko said slowly.

Ren's eyes widened in surprise as Kyoko started singing...really, really off-tune. 'I...didn't think she'd actually do it.' A muffled noise escaped his lips, causing Kyoko to pause and look at him curiously before continuing.

"...Happy Birthday dear Tsuruga san, Happy Birthday to you!" Squeaking a little on the last note, Kyoko finally ended the song and looked at Ren, who was doing his best to keep a straight face. "Well? I finished singing, so it's your turn. Make a wish and blow out the candle!"

Ren slowly turned towards the cake, unable to keep his laughter in check much longer. His mouth started to tremble.

Kyoko, noticing the abnormality in Ren's expression, asked worriedly, "Tsuruga san, what's wrong?!"

Ren hunched over, his back heaving in silent laughter.

Hesitantly, Kyoko walked over to Ren and touched his shoulder. "Tsuruga san?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Ren let out a laugh, only to cover his mouth in an effort to conceal his outburst.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'This seems familiar...' Kyoko's eyes widened in realization. 'This is what he did when we were playing Dark Moon last time!' "Tsuruga san! Stop laughing at me!"

"I-I'm n-not l-laughing a-at y-you, haha!" Ren said between bursts of laughter.

Kyoko put her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. "Oh really?"

"Really!" Ren turned to look at Kyoko, only to burst into laughter again.

"Tsuruga saaan!" Kyoko said ominously.

Ren smiled. "There's Mio again." He willed himself to stop laughing. "Alright, I'm sorry." He turned towards the cake and closed his eyes for a moment, staying completely still, before opening his eyes and blowing out the lone candle. "Happy?"

"What'd you wish for Tsuruga san?"

Ren smiled furtively. "Secret."

Kyoko pouted childishly. "Why?"

Ren's eyes twinkled. "Don't they say if you tell someone your wish, it won't come true?"

Kyoko stared at Ren, taken aback. "R-right." Her eyes lit upon the cake. "Uh, I supposed we should cut the cake. I'll go get a knife!"

'She seems to be running away to the kitchen a lot...' Ren frowned.

Kyoko came rushing out of the kitchen with a cake knife in hand, skidding to a halt before she would have crashed into the coffee table.

A little out of breath, she asked. "Do you want to cut it, or should I?"

Ren stared at her, completely bewildered by her behavior. 'I didn't even know I owned a cake knife...' "Oh, uh, I'll do it." Ren carefully took the knife Kyoko handed to him and cut out a small slice. Sliding it onto a plate, he offered it to Kyoko, who shook her head and smiled.

"That one's yours. I'll have the second piece."

Ren smiled wryly. "Alright then." and cut out another piece for her.

"Thank you." Kyoko said formally, as she took the offered plate this time.

Ren took a small bite of the cake, his eyes widening. 'This is vanilla and chocolate and fruit, but...it's so light.' He took a closer look at the cake. The top layer was vanilla, the bottom was chocolate, with a layer of fruit in between. "It's good."

Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief, catching Ren's attention. "I'm glad."

'I like everything you cook for me. It shouldn't be that big of a surprise that I'd like this too.' He thought in amusement. "Oh, that reminds me." Ren grabbed a black fountain pen and handed it to Kyoko.

"Huh?"

"Sign."

Kyoko stared at Ren strangely. "The cake?"

Ren snickered at Kyoko's guess. "Close. The picture."

Kyoko looked at Ren incredulously. "You want me to sign the picture? Why?"

Ren smiled. "So I can have my cake and eat it too."

A/N: Okay, first off, I can't cook, so I did the best I could with what I know from books and pictures. Second, please tell me if you think Ren was OOC or not, I really can't tell! Oh, and one more thing, isn't teasing Kyoko fun? haha.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter, I'm very glad you did. ^^


	14. Chapter 14

Ren Birthday

A/N: This is one of my shorter chapters, but hey, you got it a lot faster, so no complaints allowed, haha. ^^ If Ren seems OOC in this chapter, I couldn't help it if I wanted this particular scenario to work. You'll see what I mean. ^^

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites list. I really do appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: To momoirosagichan, because without your advice, Kyoko would have been almost completely OOC this chapter. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not Skip Beat or any of its characters, but Director Takumi is mine! ^^

Chapter 14

Kyoko blinked twice, three question marks appearing around her head. "Eh?" The wheels in her head churned as she looked from Ren, to the cake, to the picture, over and over again until swirls replaced her eyes. 'Have my cake and eat it too, have my cake and eat it too...'

Suddenly, a flashing light bulb kicked the question marks to the curb and Kyoko started laughing. "Alright then." she chortled, as she signed the bottom right corner of the picture with a flourish. "There, you can have your cake," she smiled and gave Ren back the picture, picking up the plate Ren had set down a moment ago. "and eat it too." She offered the plate to him with a smile.

Ren smiled. Smiling with his eyes, he said, "Thank you." and started eating his cake again.

Still smiling, Kyoko softly said, "Happy Birthday, Tsuruga san."

Ren stilled, his eyes widening slightly.

_Ten year old Kuon watched his beautiful mother come forward with a gigantic cake, his face paling a bit at the amount of cake his mother would probably make him eat._

_The cake had ten candles, one for each of his ten years. It was covered with a thick layer of chocolate icing, making the cake seem larger than it actually was._

_After the cake was set down in front of him, voices singing "Happy Birthday" surrounding him, he closed his eyes and made a wish. 'I wish I can be as great an actor as Father.' and blew out the candles._

_He turned to see his mother hold her finger to her mouth. Nodding, he mimicked the action. He watched as his father cut out a huge piece for him, telling him to "Dig in."_

_Bracing himself, he took a small bite, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a small smile. 'This tastes really good.' He thought happily._

_He felt his mother lean close to him, lightly kissing him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday sweetheart."_

"Is something the matter, Tsuruga san?"

Ren forced his mind to return to the present, albeit reluctantly. "No, just, the way you said 'Happy Birthday' reminded me of my mother." he said absently.

Noting the slightly sad and wistful expression on Ren's face, Kyoko asked curiously, "Have you not seen your mother lately?"

Ren shook his head, still lost in thought. "I haven't seen her since I was 15..."

Kyoko's eyes widened. 'His mother... died six years ago?! Poor Tsuruga san...' "Why did I remind you of her?" she asked gently.

Ren smiled, a hint of longing in the faraway look his eyes broadcasted. Not really paying attention to what he was saying, he murmured, "She used to kiss me on the cheek and say, 'Happy Birthday sweetheart.' in the same tone of voice you used earlier..."

Kyoko's eyes widened as she went off into fantasy land for a moment, imagining a miniature Ren smiling as his mother kissed him on the cheek. 'Oh, Tsuruga san must have had a really happy childhood.'

Her smile faded as she continued her thought. 'He must have been very sad when his mother died. Poor Tsuruga san!' Her eyes grew watery as tears slid down her cheeks in rivers. 'He must miss his mother so much!' Kyoko bit her lip to stay silent. 'If only I could do something, Tsuruga san looks so sad...'

Slowly, slowly, an idea came to her. 'Tsuruga san did say I sounded like his mother just then...' She dried her eyes, which were filled with determination and reluctance all at once. 'and Moko san did say to ask Tsuruga san what he wants for his birthday after dinner. It would remind Tsuruga san of his wonderfully happy life with his mother, and he won't look so sad anymore. It would be a good present, wouldn't it?'

A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. 'But still, doing something like that...' Kyoko shoved the voice away. 'It will make Tsuruga san happy on his birthday. He's sad because of something I said!' With that thought in mind, Kyoko ignored her reluctance and stood, walking over to Ren's side.

Unaware of Kyoko's antics, Ren had long since closed his eyes, not wanting to discuss the topic any longer, as his head was starting to pound. He let out a small sigh just as he felt something soft brush his cheek. Warm air fanned his ear as his eyes flew open just in time to see Kyoko, who whispered exactly as she had earlier, with one tell-tale difference. "Happy Birthday sweetheart."

Ren's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat as he remained completely still.

Suddenly, the rain started coming down in sheets, pounding on the ceiling as through trying to break though to the two people below.

Kyoko stood up, startled by the sudden downpour. Looking at the window, she could see the rain coming down so fast that the scenery was just a watery blur.

A minute later, as suddenly as it had started, the rain slowed back down to a light drizzle in time with Ren finally breaking through his statue-like stillness. He turned to look at Kyoko, a strange gleam in his eyes, which quickly faded to a gentle warmth.

Seeing this, Kyoko grew extremely uncomfortable, slightly backing away and hunching her back, as if trying to make herself appear as small as possible.

Standing up, Ren walked towards Kyoko, uncaring that Kyoko backed up with every step he took forward, until she was up against the wall.

Bending down to look her in the eye, that gentle warmth still radiating from his eyes, Ren said so quietly that Kyoko had to strain to hear him. "That was a good memory."

With that, he turned and walked away. "It's getting late, I'll drive you home. Thank you for the meal, it was delicious. Thank you for the memory, it was...nice."

A/N: Well, my brain is starting to pick up the pace when it comes to brainstorming, so hopefully, I will have written Chapter 15 out in a few days, but no guarantees. ^^ I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter, you all are awesome. ^^


	15. Chapter 15

Ren's Birthday

A/N: This chapter's out a bit later than I had hoped since I had to study for a test, but it's not that much later so it should be okay. ^^ I had a lot of fun writing about this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading it. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites, you all are awesome. It's mind boggling that I already have over 300 reviews, haha. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I just own Director Takumi and this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 15

Kyoko opened the fridge, intent on checking one last time. Luckily, Darumaya had an enormous fridge, as was evident by the trays of chocolate occupying about a third of the space.

Nodding her head, she meticulously checked each tray for any one piece that might have an irregular shape. Satisfied that there were no imperfections so far, she reached for the last tray, only to blush slightly as she caught a glimpse of the chocolate inside, a faraway look in her eyes. 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that...' She shook her head furiously. 'No!' It was my responsibility to cheer Tsuruga san up!'

Forcing herself to focus on the talk at hand, she finished checking the chocolate and closed the fridge. She trudged up the stairs and finally went to sleep-or tried to.

Tossing and turning on the futon, she faced the ceiling and shoved the pillow into her face.

_Standing up, Ren walked towards Kyoko, uncaring that Kyoko backed up with every step he took forward, until she was up against the wall._

_Bending down to look her in the eye, that gentle warmth still radiating from his eyes, Ren said so quietly that Kyoko had to strain to hear him. "That was a good memory."_

"Ugh!" Kyoko used the pillow to whack herself in the face over and over again, scaring the Darumaya couple in the next room. "Go-to-sleep!"

The next morning, Kyoko got up bright and early, making all the preparations necessary to survive the day. Allowing herself a small grimace, she came downstairs.

Rolling up her sleeves, she set to work putting all the chocolate into small white boxes that were tied with a pretty red ribbon.

Breathing a sigh of relief as she completed her task, she checked the clock. '4:30. Okami san and Taisho should be waking up soon.' Nodding to herself, she carefully put all the boxes except for two into a large, white bag.

Almost on cue, Okami san and Taisho came downstairs about ten minutes later.

"Kyoko chan, ohaiyo." Okami san murmured, suppressing a yawn as she gazed at the young woman. "You're up early today."

Kyoko bowed in respect to the older couple. "Ohaiyo, Okami san, Taisho. I have to be at work by 6:00AM today, so I don't want to make Tsuruga san wait for me by waking up late."

"Ah, I see. " Okami san smiled. "Have fun at work today."

"Arigatou, Okami san." Grabbing the two boxes she hadn't put in the bag, Kyoko handed one each to Okami san and Taisho. "Happy Valentines Day."

Surprised, but pleased at the unexpected gift, Okami san and Taisho both smiled warmly at Kyoko. "Arigatou, Kyoko chan."

"No, thank you for all you have done for me." Kyoko bowed deeply.

"Mogami san." A faint voice called her from outside.

Kyoko's ears perked up. "I have to go, Ittekimasu!" she called, grabbing the huge bag as she flew out the door.

"Ohaiyo, Kyoko chan!" Yashiro called as he moved to the backseat.

"Ohaiyo, Yashiro san. Why are you moving to the back?"

Yashiro smiled with glee. "Because it's Valentines Day!"

Kyoko frowned, confused. "You should still sit in the front Yashiro san."

Yashiro gave her a look of mock hurt. "Kyoko chan, I moved for you..."

Kyoko protested in vain. "But-!" 'I'd be refusing his kindness.' Giving up, she nodded her head. "Alright, thank you, Yashiro san."

Yashiro smiled triumphantly at Ren. "It's nothing." Catching sight of Kyoko's bag, he asked. "Kyoko chan, what's in the bag?"

Kyoko smiled and rummaged through it a bit, pulling out two boxes, one with a red ribbon, and one tied with black. "Chocolate."

Yashiro's eyes were huge as he exclaimed. "That entire bag's filled with chocolate?!?!"

Kyoko nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. This one's for you, Yashiro san." and handed the box tied with a red ribbon to Yashiro.

"Thank you! Did you make these yourself? What kind are they?" Yashiro asked, as he opened the box to find twenty small truffles nestled comfortably within. Almost black in color, they were graced with a zigzag shape on top in a lighter brown color.

"Yes. It would be too expensive to buy so many... The shell is made out of dark chocolate, and the filling is made out of milk chocolate, same as the zigzag pattern on top." Kyoko replied, right when Yashiro popped a truffle into his mouth.

"Ren."

Ren looked over to see Yashiro grinning maniacally at him. "Yes?"

"Kyoko's homemade chocolate tastes really good."

"Oh! Right!" Kyoko handed the box tied with a black ribbon to Ren.

Ren smiled gracefully. "Thank you."

Taking a peek inside Kyoko's bag, Yashiro exclaimed. "They all have red ribbons!"

Kyoko innocently glanced inside the bag and looked up. "Yes."

Yashiro smiled slyly at Ren, who was opening his box, only to see a white glaze in a zigzag pattern on his truffles. "The chocolate's different too." he teased. "Maybe Kyoko's giving you honmei?" Yashiro giggled with glee.

"No, I just didn't want to upset Tsuruga san's stomach, so I used a different filling. The black ribbon is so I don't give him the wrong one." Kyoko said calmly.

"So Ren's chocolate is special?" Yashiro hedged.

Kyoko shook her head. "No, just different."

Yashiro pouted childishly. 'Kyoko chan's so dense...'

Ren sighed heavily, doing his best to ignore Yashiro's antics, and took a bite of the chocolate, revealing a white filling that was the same as the white glaze on top. 'It's cold...' Ren thought, surprised.

Noting Ren's expression, Kyoko smiled proudly. "It's lemon mint, so it's not as rich as other fillings. It shouldn't bother your stomach at all!" Realizing that she was still standing outside, she quickly got into the car and closed the door.

Ren smiled weakly. "Thank you Mogami san, I really appreciate it."

_"Thank you for the memory, it was...nice."_

"Mogami san? Mogami san?" Kyoko jumped a bit at the feel of someone's hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Ren leaning over her, a concerned look in his eyes.

Kyoko blushed scarlet as she scooted away from Ren. "Yes, Tsuruga san?"

A dark shadow flashed through Ren's eyes, making Kyoko scoot even farther away. "Are you alright? You look flushed."

"I'm fine! Uh, we should probably get going so we won't be late!" Kyoko exclaimed, wishing fervently that Ren would move away soon.

Ren frowned for a moment, before heaving a sigh of defeat. "Alright, Mogami san..."

Yashiro's eyes went back and forth, looking first at Kyoko's still red face, and Ren's tense expression. 'Well, well, what do we have here?'

_Ren, did Kyoko give you anything for your birthday yesterday?" Yashiro asked, a sly expression on his face._

_Ren's face blanked. "She made a cake, along with a picture of the cake, and cooked dinner."_

_Yashiro clapped his hands together with glee. "And? Then what?" He said eagerly._

_Ren did his best to keep a straight face, keeping his eyes on the road. "Then I drove her home."_

_Yashiro pouted childishly. "That's all?" He looked over at Ren for a moment before facing forward in a huff. 'Wait a second...' He stilled, slowly turning his head back to face Ren. 'Is that...?'_

_Contrary to Ren's words and facial expression, a very light, faint blush stained his cheeks red. Yashiro's eyes widened comically. "You're blushing."_

_"Huh?" Ren looked over at Yashiro in confusion._

_Yashiro squealed. "You're blushing! What happened?!"_

_The blush deepened ever so slightly as Ren looked away (luckily they were at a red light at the time, or they might have gotten into a car crash with how little Ren was actually paying attention to the road at the moment). "Nothing happened."_

_"Then why are you blushing?" Yashiro taunted._

_"I'm not blushing." Ren said calmly, turning the air conditioning up._

_Ignoring Ren's denial, Yashiro pounced. "What did you do to Kyoko chan? Did you kiss her?!"_

_Ren's eyes narrowed minutely. 'Why does it have to be me kissing her?' he thought, conveniently forgetting at the moment that he actually had kissed her yesterday afternoon, albeit on the cheek._

_Yashiro continued on relentlessly. "Did something happen at work? Dinner? The drive home?" Seeing Ren ignoring him, Yashiro sighed. "Are you even listening to me?"_

_"No."_

'Hmm, it must have been something big if Kyoko chan's affected too.' Yashiro thought with a smirk.

Ren looked in the back mirror, only to catch Yashiro smirking suspiciously at him and Kyoko. Suppressing a mild shudder, he forced his attention back onto the road. Popping another chocolate into his mouth, he noted briefly that he only had twelve left. Giving a mental shrug, he closed the small box just before parking in the same space as yesterday.

As it was still early morning, the air was chilly, a cold wind blowing towards them from across the ocean making the temperature drop even lower.

Seeing Kyoko shivering as they got out of the car, Ren carefully draped his jacket over her shoulders.

Startled by the unexpected warmth, Kyoko looked up to see Ren standing next to her. "Put this on for now."

Smiling gratefully, Kyoko nodded. "Thank you, Tsuruga san." Before wrapping the jacket around her body tightly to block out the cold.

Ren smiled faintly at the sight before him. As Kyoko was much smaller than Ren, the jacket engulfed her small body, making her look like a little kid trying to wear an adult's clothes.

Watching the heartwarming scene unfolding right in front of him, Yashiro's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed as he resolved to watch the couple like a hawk for the next two days. 'Who knows what I might end up seeing.' He thought in unadulterated glee, before moving forward a bit to watch the two in front of him more closely. He smiled, a hint of voyeurism reflected in his eyes. 'This is going to be so much fun!'

A/N: I kind of agree with Yashiro's last line, don't you? haha. ^^ Don't really have anything to say at the moment except thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I really do appreciate it.

Oh, and special note for momo chan here, I was thinking of you as I wrote this chapter, cause I know how much you like Yashiro's character, and I was like "Huh, I bet she's really going to like this chapter" haha


	16. Chapter 16

Ren's Birthday

Well, by momo chan's request, I'm posting this now, this one's the revised one, so enjoy. ^^

I really had fun imagining this chapter, and I hope you have fun reading it. No complaining if Ren's OOC in some places, cause if you think he is, then most likely I already know that, but did so in order to make the story a bit more fun. ^^ If you don't think he's OOC, then that's great, haha. ^^

Just to clarify, when I first started writing this fanfic, no one except Nakamura knew when Ren's Birthday is, so please don't ask me why I purposely got Ren's actual birthdate wrong, as I was just guessing. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their favorites list and story alerts. I really do appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: I'm dedicating this chapter to momo chan because she's been helping me work out ideas for this chapter and later chapters and I'm truly grateful to her for that. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters, I only own my OC characters and this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 16

Director Takumi looked at his watch impatiently. 5:57AM. 'Almost time to start. They'd better not be late.' He looked up in time to see the little scene involving Ren draping his jacket over Kyoko's shoulders play out.

'Hmm? What's this I see?' He thought, 'Progress maybe?' a cruel little smile tilting up the corners of his mouth. 'This should be interesting.' He quickly changed to a pleasant smile, a wicked light still gleaming in his eyes.

"Hello Kyoko, Tsuruga san." Ignoring the narrowing eyes of his male model, Takumi leaned forward to look Kyoko in the eye. He was unable to get as close as he wished however, as some unknown force repelled him backwards, keeping a "safe" distance between him and Kyoko. Undaunted, he decided to ignore it, although he didn't try to move closer to her.

"Nice outfit you have there." His smile widened to a grin as he pointedly looked at Ren's jacket wrapped tightly around her.

Looking down at herself, Kyoko blushed, unsure as to why though. "I-I was c-cold, so T-Tsuruga san l-lent me his j-jacket." she stammered, slightly unsettled.

"So that's how it is..." Takumi whispered, amusement coloring his eyes in such a way that Kyoko felt compelled to state her explanation again.

"Really, that's what happened." Kyoko insisted, not wanting him to think otherwise.

"Oh?" Takumi arched an eyebrow. "I didn't say you were lying, now did I?"

Kyoko shook her head warily.

Torturing Kyoko for a bit longer, Takumi whispered in an unholy voice. "Then why did you feel the need to repeat yourself?"

Kyoko blinked, startled a bit by the question. "Because...you looked like...you didn't believe me?"

Takumi laughed lightly, leaning back to look down at Kyoko, their huge height difference made glaringly obvious. "Now why would you think that?"

Kyoko looked around desperately as she had become increasingly unsettled by the conversation. Her gaze widening, she answered shakily. "Um...your expression?"

Kyoko tensed, waiting for his reply, only to see Takumi walking up to Yashiro instead. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pondered why Ren might be angry.

"Tsuruga san, is something wrong?"

Ren flashed her a gentlemanly smile. "Of course not."

Kyoko felt like she was being pushed back by the bright sparkly waves of light emanating from Ren. 'He's angry. He's definitely angry! What did I do?!?!'

Seeing Kyoko's distressed expression, Ren sighed, flashing a genuine smile at her this time. "Really, I'm fine."

Kyoko smiled back, seeing that he was telling the truth this time. 'Thank goodness.'

Meanwhile, Takumi stopped in front of Yashiro.

Yashiro bowed shallowly. "Hello, my name is Yashiro Yukihito, Ren's manager."

Takumi reciprocated the gesture. "Hello, my name is Takumi Ikuto, director and photographer of this photo shoot." He said formally. "I'm surprised you weren't here yesterday."

Yashiro's eyes slid over to look at Ren, before returning to Takumi. "I had some business to attend to."

"I see..."

Looking back at Ren and Kyoko, he noticed Kyoko looking kind of out of it. Mentally shrugging, he said. "Go get changed and come back out immediately."

Ren nodded in affirmation and started to head to head in the direction of his dressing room, when he saw Kyoko not moving, seemingly rooted to the spot. "Mogami san, we need to go get ready." He called. No response. "Mogami san?" No response.

Seeing as Kyoko didn't seem to be listening, Ren grabbed her wrist, intent on pulling her towards the dressing room if he had to. "Mogami san!"

Kyoko snapped out of her stupor just as Ren unconsciously tightened his grip on her wrist. Kyoko automatically pulled her wrist out of Ren's grasp, shocking Ren.

His expression changed as he saw her lightly rubbing her right wrist with her left hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was gripping too tightly..."

Kyoko shook her head. "No, it's just that my wrist is still a bit sore from being wrapped tightly and not being able to move it for so long." She laughed awkwardly.

Takumi cut in. "I don't intend to repeat myself again. Go get changed and come back out immediately!" He snapped.

"Hai!" Ren and Kyoko both hurried to their respective dressing rooms.

As Kyoko was about to leave the dressing room, she paused. 'He really did look like Sho...'

_Kyoko smiled back, seeing that he was telling the truth this time. 'Thank goodness.'_

_A random person standing about 10 or 15 feet away from them caught her attention, although she didn't understand why at first._

_As the sun's rays highlighted his hair and his face, she froze, both body and mind stuttering to a halt. 'Why would Sho be here?! No, that can't be Sho. It's not possible!'_

Shaking her head, she stepped outside. 'It must've been a figment of my imagination.' Looking over to her left, her eyes widened at the sight of the Sho look-alike conversing with Takumi and Ren.

Blinking as if to clear the fog from her brain, she saw that he was about the same height as Takumi. 'It can't be him. He's too tall...'

As she was walking towards them, Ren turned to look at her. "Your wrist?" He prompted.

She flexed her wrist and clenched her hands into a fist. "Just fine!"

Ren relaxed. "Good."

"Ahem." Takumi looked at them impatiently.

Feeling sort of embarrassed, Kyoko finally reached their little group, and stood next to Ren.

Smoothing his face into a neutral expression, Takumi thought inwardly, 'Oh, this is interesting. Much more interesting than waiting.'

Gesturing to the man next to him, Takumi formally introduced him. "This is Sasaki Katsumi. He will be working with you in the stages jealousy and possessivess, which are after the stage we'll be working on in a moment."

Sasaki bowed deeply. "My name is Sasaki Katsumi, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said coolly, in a deep, dark voice.

Following Sasaki's actions, Kyoko reciprocated the introduction. "My name is Mogami Kyoko, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ren smiled. "Early as always, Sasaki san."

"Of course." Sasaki replied calmly.

On closer inspection, Sasaki's hair was a few shades darker than Sho's. It was more of a light brown with golden highlights than a dirty blonde. His eyes were a quiet gray, which seemed to just take everything in silently, absorbing his surroundings in.

He wore a long-sleeved, V-neck, dark gray shirt, which highlighted the color of his eyes. His black slacks complemented his shirt, making him almost blend in into his surroundings.

'His eyes are really pretty...' Kyoko thought absently, then blinked a few times to clear her head... only to see Sasaki quietly observing her with those calm eyes of his. "Yes?" Kyoko asked, unnerved by the fact that she hadn't noticed him staring at her until now.

He walked up to her, still silent. Strangely enough, unlike when Takumi, or even Ren, was this close to her, she felt no danger at all. She waited for him to answer her.

His hands slowly rose towards her hair, which was in a cute side ponytail. Gently tugging on pieces of hair here and there, he worked quickly and efficiently.

Finally satisfied with his work, he pulled out a mirror out of nowhere and handed it to Kyoko.

Kyoko struggled to not let her jaw drop as she saw the drastic difference in her hairstyle. Instead of being sleek and smooth, which she herself had thought to be a bit too childish, her hair was now tousled and choppy, giving her a much more mature look.

"Better?" He asked softly.

Kyoko smiled up at him in appreciation. "Yes! Thank you so much! It does fit the outfit much better now." She said happily.

Indeed, it did complement her outfit much better this way.

She was wearing a light yellow, long-sleeved shirt with ruffles lining the edges. The sleeves were of a slightly thinner material, making them just barely see-through. Her white capris followed the line of her legs, stopping midway down her calves, emphasizing the shape of her legs. White ballet slippers completed the look.

"Good."

Ren watched the interaction from the sidelines, amusement lighting up his eyes. Having worked with Sasaki several times in the past, he felt relieved that he was the one who would be modeling with him and Kyoko.

He smiled to himself. 'Sasaki san really does live up to his name...'

Ren was wearing a dark blue t-shirt, which showed through under a dark gray, button-up t-shirt that was left open. Wearing black jeans with a straight cut, his outfit was similar to Sasaki's, although Ren stood out more.

Seeing Ren, Sasaki, and Takumi so close together, you'd think that all three were posing for a photo shoot, even though they were just acting normally. At the center of their triangle was little Kyoko, as they walked to the area where they'd be posing for the third stage: joy/ happiness.

Upon arriving at their "stage", which was a pristine playground, there were a few intricate slides on the left, and a row of swings on the right, with sand beneath their feet. Other various structures were placed in an artful manner towards the center.

After giving instructions to Ren and Kyoko, and making sure the equipment was set up correctly, he called Sasaki over. "Sasaki!"

Sasaki immediately appeared by Takumi's side, like a loyal servant eager to find out and comply with his master's wishes. The only difference being that Sasaki did not look eager, he just had the same expression on as always. "Yes, Director Takumi?"

"Watch those two very closely during this stage, and before we go back to the set, tell me what you've observed and inferred about their relationship."

Sasaki nodded calmly. "I will report to you after you finish." He then excused himself and walked to a shadowed corner of the park just a few feet away.

Even knowing he was there, Takumi still had a hard time pinpointing his exact location. He chuckled quietly. 'Considering how well he can blend in into his surroundings, it's amazing how much he stands out in photographs.'

Adjusting the camera angle one last time, his expression settled into a serious mask, although the mind behind it wasn't nearly so harmless. 'Well, let the show begin...'

Sasaki watched as Ren and Kyoko started working, with Kyoko sitting on a swing, looking up with laughter in her eyes and a grin on her face at Ren, who was behind her, leaning forward while hanging onto the chains that held the swing up. He returned Kyoko's grin with a smile of his own, his eyes lighting up as he gazed upon her happy visage. 'Interesting...'

As he observed Ren's eyes almost tangibly caressing Kyoko's face before switching to the next pose, Sasaki's eyes widened unnoticeably. 'That Tsuruga san... he's not just modeling, his reaction to her is genuine.'

Thinking back to Kyoko's expression, he mentally commented. 'That girl, I believe her name was Mogami san, her expression seemed more natural than usual as well, although she doesn't seem to realize it...'

Hearing someone's joyful laughter, he focused once more on the scene before him. The laughter he had heard was coming from Kyoko as Ren pushed her, making her swing higher and faster, her ponytail becoming even more tousled by the wind.

As she flew upwards, she would throw her head back and laugh in delight. Her feet were flung outwards in a graceful manner, the early morning light seeming to reflect her happiness.

As he pushed her, each time he pushed her, a small smile would appear on Ren's face, as if he was fighting back laughter himself.

His eyes were full of a quiet happiness that seemed to glow warmly, his quiet joy a fitting background for Kyoko's vibrance.

Their happiness seemed contagious, as Takumi broke out into a genuine smile for once, happy that things were going so well. Even Sasaki had to fight back a small smile as he observed the two people posing in front of him. 'They are a good pair. I wouldn't be surprised if they have worked on other photo shoots together, although I don't recall seeing Mogami san in any magazines.'

Becoming extremely focused on the pair for the rest of the stage, as they played and frolicked to and fro across the playground, what he saw only confirmed his earlier observations, although he added one more...

Finally wrapping things up for this stage, Kyoko released all the tension that had built up in her body during the photo shoot. Jumping up and down for a minute to calm herself down (although it didn't work), she smiled brilliantly at Ren. "That one was so much fun! I wouldn't mind doing that again if they asked me to!"

Ren arched an eyebrow, "Even the last pose?"

Not really paying attention to what Ren was saying, Kyoko nodded vigorously. "Of course! The whole photo shoot I was smiling and laughing!"

An idea came to Ren. "So you would like it if we re-enacted the last pose?"

Still not paying attention, Kyoko exclaimed, "It was so much fun!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Ren murmured, on an adrenaline high himself, as he grabbed Kyoko and lifted her up princess style, with her legs being a bit lower than her torso, so that she almost looked like she was sitting on Ren's arms.

Kyoko squealed a bit, swinging her legs back and forth, laughing harder, before finally realizing where she was and what Ren had done. Turning red, she finally came back down to earth. "Tsuruga san? Could you put me back down please?" Kyoko murmured.

Seeing that Kyoko had calmed down forced Ren to sober up as well. "Of course." Gently putting Kyoko back down on the ground, they walked back to the set in an awkward silence.

Noting that Ren and Kyoko had finally started heading back towards the set, Sasaki silently walked up to Takumi, who had just finished in having everyone come and remove the equipment, save for his camera, which he kept with him. Takumi turned around to see Sasaki waiting patiently next to him. As always, showing no hint of what he was thinking or feeling on his face.

Folding his arms over his chest, he gazed at Sasaki, a smirk of anticipation making his eyes tilt upwards in unholy amusement as he finally asked, "Well?"

A/N: Well? How did you like it? I was actually going to introduce Sasaki at a later time, but it seemed more feasible doing it this way.

Oh, and to explain the part where Ren says that Sasaki lives up to his name, Sasaki's first name, Katsumi, means self-control, so he's basically saying that because Sasaki's personality really reflects that trait. Well, I at least treid to make his personality reflect that trait. ^^

Also, for those of you who don't remember, the scene where Kyoko pulls her wrist away is referring to when in the manga, chapter 132 or so, Chiori pushed Kyoko down the stairs, injuring her wrist. I stated in one of the earlier chapters that Kyoko would get her bandages off the following Monday, which would be February 12th, 2 days before this chapter. Hope that clears things up. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, you all are awesome! ^^


	17. Chapter 17

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, it seems to be getting a little bit easier to write the chapters, which is a good thing, for me at least. ^^ This chapter was a really fun chapter for me to write as I was kind of snickering mentally as I wrote it. ^^ (Couldn't snicker out loud cause I'd disturb the people around me at the time. ^^)

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites list.

Dedication: I'm dedicating this chapter to momo chan again, because without an explanation she gave me yesterday about Yashiro's relationship with ren, I never would have been able to write the second half of this chapter, so thank you momo chan! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its character. I do however own Takumi and Sasaki, and this fanfic. Hmm, maybe in my next chapter I'll just say Takumi/Sasaki pair, haha.

Chapter 17

"Finally finished half." Yashiro said happily, stretching his arms over his head before neatly stacking the paperwork in front of him.

"They should be finishing up stage three right around now..." Yashiro smiled. 'Considering the way they were acting earlier this morning, they've finally made progress!' He thought gleefully.

The smile fell off his face however, once he spotted Kyoko and Ren walking back to the set together. Not talking, not even looking at each other, an uncomfortable aura surrounded the two of them.

Yashiro's mouth settled into a thin line as he rushed over to meet them.

As they weren't really paying attention to their surroundings, the sudden appearance of Yashiro directly in front of them ended up mildly startling the two models.

"How did stage three go?" Yashiro asked.

Kyoko refused to look at Ren as she answered, for fear of her face turning pink. "It went well." She muttered.

Ren just nodded in agreement.

Yashiro mentally grumbled, 'What is wrong with these two?!' Shaking his head in disappointment, Yashiro sighed. "Well, you two better hurry and go get ready for stage four."

"Actually, Director Takumi just gave us a ten minute break before we need to go get changed." Kyoko replied.

Yashiro brightened and smiled politely at Kyoko. "Great! Then, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Ren."

Before Kyoko could even blink, Yashiro had grabbed Ren's arm and dragged him back to the set and into his dressing room. Kyoko smiled inwardly. 'That was fast.'

As soon as Yashiro was sure that the door was firmly closed behind them, he turned on Ren and started throwing a hissy fit.

"My god Ren. Director Takumi's only known Kyoko chan for a day and he's already calling her name without honorifics. Even Sasaki san was able to touch her hair, regardless of the fact that it was to 'fix it', without giving her any warning. But when she's with you, you two don't even talk to each other on the way back to the set. Ren, the girl wouldn't look at you!"

Yashiro stormed over to the wall covered with a giant mirror and glared at Ren's reflection.

Leaning back against the mirror, Yashiro said in an angry voice, "The way you're handling this, even if Kyoko does become ready to love and accept love in the future, she'll get snatched up by someone else because you're too chicken to do anything about your feelings for her. Do you really want that?"

Ren stared incredulously at Yashiro for a moment, amazed at the lecture that had spewed out of Yashiro's mouth, burning him like fire. 'Of course not.' He thought despairingly. "She'd be happier with someone else."

Yashiro's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't give me that. I saw the way you looked at Director Takumi when he called her just 'Kyoko.'."

Ren looked away from Yashiro, and said quietly, "It's true though..." Heaving a small sigh, he continued. "But not Director Takumi. He'd just break her heart all over again. Besides, she's not interested in him at all."

Yashiro arched an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Oh? And how would you know that?"

Ren stilled. 'I can't tell him what happened yesterday...' "She is the first member of the Love Me Section." Ren supplied.

Yashiro walked up to Ren. "While that is true, you're hiding something from me again."

Ren smiled his gentlemanly smile. "Of course I'm not."

"Then, should I go ask Director Takumi?"

"Director Takumi doesn't know the whole story." Ren blurted out defensively. 'Crap.'

Yashiro pounced. "So what is the whole story?"

Ren edged away slowly... 'What do I do now?!'

Yashiro's expression showed fierce determination. 'I'm not going to let you get away this time!' "Well?"

Ren maintained his gentlemanly smile. "It's nothing important." 'Liar.'

'Liar.' Yashiro thought. "Even if it's 'nothing', I still want to know. So tell me."

"It would be better if you ask Mogami san instead of me." Ren hedged.

"Oh? If it was nothing important, then it should be okay for you to tell me."

"Well, Mogami san's the one who knows the whole story, I guess..."

"You guess?" Yashiro mimicked mockingly.

A knock was heard at the door. "Tsuruga san?" One of the staff members called. "Please get ready for stage four."

"Alright, thank you." Ren replied.

"I need to get ready. We'll end this conversation here." Ren said calmly.

"We'll continue this conversation later." Yashiro corrected.

'I hope not...' Ren thought, as he pretended to ignore Yashiro.

Yashiro grumbled and reluctantly left the dressing room in a huff.

After spotting Kyoko outside however, who had already finished changing, he smiled. "Kyoko chan, that outfit really suits you!"

Different from the previous outfits, she was wearing dark colors for the first time (excluding the swim suit of course). A black shirt with diagonal light gray stripes had pure black sleeves that stopped halfway down her forearms, giving the shirt a lighter feel than if it had been the typical long-sleeved shirt. Although not exactly loose on her body, the shirt only barely clung to her curves, making her appear even slimmer. The dark magenta skirt swished softly back and forth when she walked. To complement the shirt's sleeve length, the skirt stopped halfway down her calves. Dark gray flats added to the overall aura of sedate elegance.

Her behavior was well suited to her outfit (at least, at first it was), as Kyoko bowed and said softly in a formal tone. "Thank you, Yashiro san."

Yashiro smiled happily as a brand new idea wormed its way into his mind. "Ne, Kyoko chan?"

Kyoko looked up at Yashiro. "Yes?"

"Ren is the only person who calls you 'Mogami san' nowadays, isn't he?"

Kyoko thought for a moment. "I suppose so..." She said slowly.

Yashiro laughed lightly. "Even Director Takumi calls you 'Kyoko'."

Kyoko's expression darkened a shade, but she nonetheless agreed with his statement. "That true..."

"I guess Ren got used to calling you 'Mogami san'. But really, it's such a shame..."

Kyoko looked at Yashiro curiously. "Why do you say that?"

Yashiro gave her a look of mock surprise. "Isn't Ren one of the people you consider closest to you?"

"Of course! He's the best senpai a kouhai could ever hope to have!" Kyoko said proudly.

"And yet that 'best senpai' of yours still says your name so formally." Yashiro replied dryly.

"That's because Tsuruga san doesn't like me." Kyoko said matter-of-factly.

Yashiro's mouth gaped open at Kyoko's response. When he was finally able to close his mouth, he asked, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, he used to hate me when we first met, but we get along much better nowadays, so now he only dislikes me."

Yashiro sighed in exasperation. 'How that girl comes up with that sort of twisted logic will always be a mystery to me...' "Kyoko chan, what if I said that Ren doesn't dislike you?"

"He dislikes me." Kyoko said firmly.

"Kyoko chan..." Yashiro sighed in impatience. "I mean hypothetically."

"What about it?" Kyoko asked.

"Would you let Ren call you 'Kyoko chan'?" Yashiro cajoled.

"He would never call me that." Kyoko said dismissively.

Yashiro persisted. "But if he wanted to, would you let him?"

Kyoko thought deeply for a moment, confused by the whole conversation. 'Why are we talking about something that will never happen? Yashiro san sure asks strange questions sometimes.' "I guess so..." Kyoko said cautiously, as she saw Ren coming out of his dressing room.

Yashiro smiled with glee.

After hearing a door shut behind him, he turned around to see Ren walking towards them.

"Ren! Kyoko chan said that you can call her 'Kyoko chan'!"

Ren seemed startled for a moment at Yashiro's sudden outburst. He gazed curiously at Kyoko, as if to say, "What's going on here?"

"U-um, Yashiro san w-was just asking me about whether o-or not, it would be okay if y-you didn't call me 'Mogami san' in a h-hypothetical s-situation." Kyoko stuttered.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "What kind of hypothetical question?" He asked, as he sent a glare disguised as a gentlemanly smile in Yashiro's direction.

Kyoko started shaking in fear as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"If Tsuruga san didn't dislike me." She squeaked.

Kyoko finally peeked over at Ren after she couldn't bear the silence any longer, only to see Ren staring at her strangely.

Seeing that Kyoko was finally looking at him, he asked in a quiet voice. "Why do you think that is a hypothetical situation?"

Misinterpreting his meaning, Kyoko bowed repeatedly, the princess style ponytail swinging back and forth. "I'm so sorry for even mentioning it! Of course Tsuruga san dislikes me! I'm so sorry!"

"Stop apologizing." Ren ordered.

"Hai..." Kyoko said miserably. 'I knew he disliked me, but I didn't know that he disliked me that much.'

Ren sighed. "Do you really think that I would go through so much trouble for someone I dislike?"

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror. "I'm so sorry I've caused you so much trouble Tsuruga san!" She wailed.

Ren stopped her before she was able to start bowing again, and tried one last time. "So basically you said that you wouldn't mind me calling you 'Kyoko chan' if I didn't dislike you?" He paraphrased.

Kyoko nodded timidly.

"We're going to the set for stage four!" Takumi called, with Sasaki standing near him.

"Well," Ren smiled, as he looked directly at Kyoko. "We'd better go now, Kyoko chan."

A/N: It would have been way too obvious to start where I left off with Takumi and Sasaki from last chapter. ^^ Haha, but i think this was a good chapter anyways. ^^ Dont' worry, you'll eventually find out what Sasaki told akumi, it just wasn't in this chapter! ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic. I really appreciate. ^^


	18. Chapter 18

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, this is my longest chapter so far, but I rather like this one. ^^ Don't really have much to say this time, except that I hope you enjoy reading this. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their favorites list and story alerts. You all are awesome. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I only own the Sasaki/Takumi pair and this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 18

Kyoko bowed deeply, keeping her head down and staying in that position as she said loudly, "I'm so sorry Tsuruga san!"

Ren stared at her bent over form in complete bewilderment. "What's wrong, Kyoko chan?"

Kyoko looked up at Ren with regret in her eyes, as she slowly rose into a standing position once again. Bowing her head in remorse, she apologized once more. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san! You don't have to call me 'Kyoko chan' if you don't want to! I know Tsuruga san dislikes me, I wasn't trying to pressure you into calling me 'Kyoko chan'." Kyoko finally looked Ren in the eye. "Please believe me!"

A super sparkly smile appeared on Ren's face, the scalding light practically blinding Kyoko. 'He doesn't believe me!' She thought frantically.

"Oh, I believe you. Only, it sounds more like you're trying to pressure me into not calling you 'Kyoko chan'. Do you hate me calling you by your first name that much?" The muscle above Ren's right eye twitched once.

Kyoko's eyes widened as she waved her hands back and forth in front of her, shaking her head furiously at the same time. "No! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that I know Tsuruga san dislikes me and-"

"And what?" Ren cut in.

Kyoko cowered as the sparkly light grew stronger. "I don't want Tsuruga san to call me in a manner that you'd feel uncomfortable with." She whimpered.

Ren turned around and sighed, unable to look at her any longer. Walking away from her, a heavy weight on his chest, he said quietly, "Have it your way, Mogami san." 'But I think the person uncomfortable about which name I use is you.'

'I didn't realize calling me "Kyoko chan" would upset him so much.' Kyoko thought sadly. "Tsuruga sa-"

"We'd better get going Mogami san." Ren said abruptly, coming to a halt, still refusing to turn back and look at her. "Director Takumi and Sasaki san are most likely already there. It would be rude to keep them waiting any longer." With that said, he started walking again.

Kyoko bowed her head and whispered, "Hai, Tsuruga san..." slowly trailing after him.

Watching them leave, Yashiro shook his head and sighed with displeasure. 'Ren, what on earth do you think you're doing?!' Deciding on giving Ren a nice long lecture once he came back, Yashiro sat down and went back to his paperwork.

Takumi watched as Ren and Kyoko walked into the clearing, carrying an extremely dark and heavy aura along with them. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as Kyoko kept glancing at Ren uneasily, while Ren refused to look at Kyoko at all.

Takumi smiled, a sadistic gleam lighting up his eyes. "What an...interesting development we have here." Looking at the man standing next to him, he inquired, "I wonder what's happened to the 'lovely couple', hmm?"

Sasaki quietly observed them for a moment, before replying. "It seems as though Mogami san has done something to upset Tsuruga san." Frowning slightly, he continued. "I've never seen Tsuruga san openly ignore anyone before in all the times I've worked with him. It must have been about something important to have made him this angry." He concluded.

"Sasaki," Takumi drawled, "didn't I tell you to call her 'Kyoko chan'?"

Sasaki slowly nodded once. "My apologies, I will remember to do so in the future."

Takumi smiled in satisfaction. "Good."

_"Well?"_

_Sasaki looked directly at Takumi as he began his quiet monologue. "They have good chemistry on-camera. Although I'm not sure, I wouldn't be surprised if they have worked together before. Tsuruga san and Mogami san seem to have a very close relationship, as Tsuruga san's emotions appeared to be genuine. It was as if he was only reacting to Mogami san, and nothing else. While I acknowledge Tsuruga san's prowess as a model and as an actor, I've never seen him model quite like the way he did a moment ago. I'm not entirely sure that this is correct, as I haven't observed them for very long, but I believe that Tsuruga san is most likely in love with Mogami san. On the other hand, Mogami san seems to be oblivious to his feelings for her. She cares deeply for him, that was very obvious, however, she herself doesn't seem to realize it."_

_Tilting his head back a little, a small smile appeared, just barely turning the corners of his mouth up. "In a way, I'd almost feel sorry for Tsuruga san, if it weren't for the fact that he's trying his best to hide his feelings for her, although he's not doing a very good job of it at the moment. Mogami san appears to be too dense to realize it though." He finished softly. He glanced over at Takumi, only to see him looking in the direction that Ren and Kyoko had left in._

_"Well then," He murmured. "We'll just have to see if your little theory is correct, now won't we?" He laughed in such a strange manner that it sent chills down Sasaki's spine._

_"Oh, and Sasaki?"_

_"Yes, Director Takumi?"_

_Takumi smiled devilishly before walking in the same direction Ren and Kyoko had gone. Calling out in a mocking tone of voice, he said, "Make sure you call her 'Kyoko chan' from now on. We can't have you being too formal with her, now can we?" Laughing softly, he disappeared from sight as he slowly walked away. _

The clearing was a secluded area in the back of the park, half bathed in sunlight, and half covered in the shadows created by the beautiful trees that provided shade.

A small lake spanning the length of the clearing sparkled brightly as light was continually reflected off its surface.

A few wooden benches were situated close to the body of water, allowing for passersby to rest for a while, taking in the beautiful scenery laid out before them.

Near the back of the clearing, Takumi finished giving the trio their instructions, allowing them to go to their respective places.

"Kyoko chan, let's go." Sasaki murmured.

Ren stiffened at the sound of Kyoko's name, his anger flaring up once more.

Kyoko nodded, completely trusting, as the quiet man led her to the center bench in front of the lake.

Takumi smiled pleasantly, his eyes silently laughing at Ren as he said knowingly, "It seems you have the general idea. Anger and jealousy do tend to go hand in hand."

Ren's eyes widened slightly in shock at his own transparency before returning to as neutral an expression as possible for him at the moment. "I'll keep that in mind Director Takumi." He quickly walked over to his spot, alone, in the shadows.

With the shadowy forest at his back, Ren blended into the background, and yet still stood out prominently. The former because of his body, the latter because of his face.

The forest green, button-up dress shirt with short sleeves perfectly matched the color of the dark leaves that surrounded him from above. The first three buttons were left undone, his collar upturned, giving Ren a bit of a disheveled look. Combined with the black dress pants, the dark colors made his body almost disappear into the background.

His face however, even covered in shadow, easily stood out because of his expression: a mixture of hurt, anger, and, most of all, jealousy.

Though they had only just started shooting, the moment all three models had gotten into position, Kyoko felt an intense wave of anger directed at her and Sasaki. The emotion behind it was so strong, it sent waves of chills traveling up and down her spine in response, causing all the hairs on her body to stand straight up.

Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on her skirt until her knuckles turned white, her eyes expressing severe distress.

"Kyoko, you need to relax." Director Takumi called.

Kyoko nodded her head in a jerky manner. 'But how am I supposed to relax with the Demon Lord out in full force?!' Kyoko thought hysterically.

A warm hand pressed down lightly on her shoulder, sending calm, gentle waves of heat through her body to counteract the chills that were still affecting her system. "Kyoko chan, you need to relax." Sasaki whispered, repeating Takumi's words.

Kyoko looked up at the face that always seemed to calm her down whenever she looked at him. 'He really does seem like the big brother type.' Kyoko thought, as she felt the tension slowly leave her body.

Smiling gratefully, she whispered back. "Arigatou, Sasaki onii-san."

Sasaki, caught off-guard, leaned back a bit, a startled look in his eyes. "What did...you just call me?" Sasaki asked quietly.

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror as she realized exactly what she'd just called him. "Oh, I didn't mean... I'm so sorry! It just kind of... slipped out...' Kyoko whispered apologetically, extremely embarrassed as her cheeks turned bright red.

Recovering his composure, a small smile found its way onto his face. "I don't mind. You may call me that, if you'd like." He said softly.

Kyoko's eyes lit up cutely, and a huge smile graced her expression as she jumped up a bit in her seat. "Really? Are you sure?" She asked excitedly, her voice a little louder than before.

Sasaki nodded, secretly amused by this unexpected turn of events. 'It wouldn't be so bad to have a little sister like her.' Sasaki thought absently.

Kyoko's eyes sparkled as she spontaneously hugged Sasaki. "Arigatou, Sasaki onii-san." She repeated.

Still kind of shocked that the girl was hanging onto him at the moment, he only blinked once in response.

"Kyoko!" Takumi called out irritably.

"Oh!" Kyoko quickly let go of Sasaki and sat back down.

"Let's continue with the shoot." Takumi finished, secretly pleased as he recalled the look that had been imprinted briefly on Ren's face when Kyoko had hugged Sasaki.

Ren had absolutely no qualms about looking jealous after watching the little scene that had unfolded right in front of him. 'Why?' He thought, furious. 'Why did she hug him?!' His knuckles turned white as he let out all his anger and jealousy, letting it be seen in his face.

Kyoko felt the anger waves from before increase in fury, practically paralyzing her entire body. 'I won't inconvenience them anymore.' She thought firmly, pushing off the effects of Ren's anger to the back of her mind as she threw herself wholeheartedly into the poses.

Takumi took in the entire scene as Kyoko finally started posing, sitting quietly with a friendly expression on her face, her back to the lake, as Sasaki sat down next to her. Leaning back, he supported his weight on his arms as he sent a flirtatious smile Kyoko's way, completely different from how he'd been only a minute earlier.

Off to the side, leaning his back against a tree, his arms folded in front of him, Ren watched the two with narrowed eyes, focusing the brunt of his gaze on Sasaki.

'This is working better than I expected.' Takumi thought. 'Thanks to that little scene Kyoko made earlier.' He smiled furtively as he signaled them to move on to the next pose.

Takumi's sign catching her eye, Kyoko threw her head back slightly and laughed softly, her eyes twinkling innocently as Sasaki leaned closer, his expression slowly turning predatory.

Ren pushed off of the tree, his body rigid as his eyes blazed brightly, even in the dark of the forest.

The dynamics between the three models changed bit by bit, pose by pose, until, in the final pose, Sasaki had backed off, smiling in a purely friendly manner. Kyoko reciprocated, smiling back as she stood up, only to have her smile slowly fade away upon facing Ren.

Having walked out of the shadows towards the end of the stage, he now stood directly in front of Kyoko, his anger and jealousy coming across in no uncertain terms.

"Good! Go have lunch, we'll start with Stage 5 in an hour." Takumi called, extremely satisfied with the photos he had taken for this stage.

Kyoko slumped forward in relief, looking forward to being free of the suffocating waves of anger that had been surrounding her since the beginning of the stage. Her grudge Kyokos had long since become delirious with pleasure at the enormous amount of anger that had been directed at her, so they hadn't been much help. Unfortunately, they didn't die down, or even decrease in intensity, much to her dismay.

As soon as Takumi had announced this stage over, Ren had smoothed his face into as neutral an expression as possible once more to hide his turbulent emotions, and walked away from Kyoko, unwilling to look at her any longer.

Noting Kyoko's posture, Sasaki, who had reverted back to his normal expression, bent over to check on her. "Are you alright, Kyoko chan?" He asked, scanning her face as he waited for her answer.

Kyoko smiled weakly. "I'm alright. Thank you for worrying about me, Sasaki onii-san."

'Her words don't match her expression.' "Are you sure?" He pressed, feeling a bit responsible for the girl who called him "Sasaki onii-san".

Takumi did his best to hold back his laughter as he watched the previously emotionless, neutral Sasaki, hover over Kyoko like a worried mother hen. Tears of mirth welled up in his eyes as he thought, 'She seems like she'll be a good influence on him.'

Before his composure completely crumbled, he quickly turned his back and walked back to the set, quietly snickering the entire way there.

Finally standing up straight, she turned to Sasaki. "Really, I'm fine." Staring at Ren's retreating figure, she said distractedly, "You go on ahead."

Following her line of sight, his eyes flickered ever so slightly in understanding. Nodding once, he excused himself, silently passing by Ren on the way back.

Remembering what had happened before the shoot, Kyoko hurried to catch up with Ren. 'I have to do something, or Tsuruga san really will hate me this time!' Kyoko thought frantically. 'But I don't understand why he got angrier the more I apologized. Tsuruga san doesn't usually stay angry at someone after they apologize...'

_"It sounds more like you're trying to pressure me into not calling you 'Kyoko chan'. Do you hate me calling you by your first name that much?"_

Kyoko's eyes widened in realization. 'Tsuruga san wasn't angry at me because he thought I was pressuring him into calling me "Kyoko chan", he was angry because he thought I was trying to push him into calling me "Mogami san" again!'

Kyoko finally caught up with Ren, who was walking at a fast pace. Jogging lightly to keep up with him, she called, "Tsuruga san!"

Ignoring her, he kept walking.

Kyoko's eyes watered as she called him again. "Tsuruga san!" 'He really does hate me now.' She thought, sinking into despair as Ren kept ignoring her.

'No! I have to apologize!' She felt determination welling up inside her. 'Even if he hates me now, I have to apologize!' Grabbing the back of his shirt, she called out one last time. "Tsuruga san!"

Finally coming to a halt, still facing forward, he replied quietly. "Yes?"

Not letting go of his shirt, Kyoko bowed repeatedly. "I'm truly sorry Tsuruga san!"

Sighing quietly, he detached her hand from the back of his shirt and turned around to see Kyoko bent deeply at the waist, refusing to lift her head as she continued to silently beg for forgiveness. "Why are you apologizing this time?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she answered. "I'm sorry that Tsuruga san thought I was trying to pressure you into continuing to call me 'Mogami san'. Honestly, I wasn't. I just didn't want Tsuruga san calling me something you're not comfortable with just to be nice, because I know you dislike me Tsuruga san!"

Ren pulled Kyoko into a standing position, his eyes narrowing. "When did I ever say that I di-"

"Tsuruga san, please!" Kyoko cut in. "Please let me finish, then you can scold me all you want!"

Closing his eyes, Ren sighed harshly. "Go ahead."

Bowing one last time, Kyoko whispered, "Thank you, Tsuruga san." before continuing on. "I know you dislike me Tsuruga san, and I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, that's all." Taking a deep breath, she finished her little speech. "I don't mind whatever name you wish to call me by Tsuruga san, so you can call me by any name you want, be it 'Mogami san', 'Kyoko chan', or something else." 'Just please, don't hate me Tsuruga san!' She begged silently.

Ren stared at her, stunned by the freedom she had just given him. "Any name I want?" He asked softly.

Kyoko nodded firmly.

Ren finally smiled. "Alright then, Kyoko."

Kyoko frowned in confusion. "Um, Tsuruga san, could you repeat that?"

The smile turned sparkly as Ren said, "I decided to call you 'Kyoko'. You did say I could call you by whatever name I choose, didn't you?"

"Yes, but-"

The anger waves started to increase as he turned his gentlemanly smile on full blast. "You weren't lying to me, were you?"

Kyoko's eyes widened in terror. "No!" Folding her hands in front of her, she answered. "No, I was just... surprised, that's all. You can call me 'Kyoko', if that's what you want." 'Just please, please don't be mad at me anymore.'

The anger waves disappeared completely. "Yes, that's what I want." He said softly. Thinking back on what she'd said earlier, Ren frowned lightly. "Kyoko."

"Y-yes?" Kyoko stuttered, still unused to his familiar use of her name.

"Why did you repeatedly keep saying that I dislike you?" He asked.

"Because you do." Kyoko replied plainly.

Ren just stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. "Have you ever heard me say that I dislike you?" He asked slowly.

Kyoko thought for a moment, then thought harder, searching her memory for any such incident. "No." She answered, slightly bewildered.

Ren put on a stern face. "Exactly. I've never once said to you that I dislike you. You of all people should know it's extremely impolite to make assumptions about how others think of you, and to throw it in their face on top of that." 'Or rather, mine.' He thought dryly.

Kyoko felt shame wash over her. 'I'm such a fool. Even if Tsuruga san didn't dislike me before, he definitely dislikes me after today!' "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san..."

"Kyoko."

"Yes, Tsuruga san?" Kyoko replied dully.

"Repeat after me."

Frowning in confusion, Kyoko slowly nodded.

"Tsuruga san does not dislike me."

"Tsuruga san... does not... dislike... me." Her brain finally processing what she'd just said, she looked up quickly to see Ren smiling at her. "Really?!"

Ren arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Do I need to make you say it again?"

Kyoko shook her head furiously.

Ren smiled faintly. "Good."

"Tsuruga san?" Kyoko asked tentatively, her nervousness causing her to stare down at the ground.

"Yes?"

Gathering up her courage, she asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

Ren waited for her to look up at him again before giving her a truly genuine smile, his eyes gentle. "No, I'm not."

Kyoko searched his eyes for a moment. 'He means it. Tsuruga san really isn't angry with me anymore!' Finally able to relax, she smiled wholeheartedly up at Ren. "I'm glad." She said gratefully.

The walk back to the set was silent once more, only this time, a peaceful silence reigned.

A/N: A bit more variety in this chapter than normal. Oh, and for those of you who want to argue with Ren never having said that he dislikes Kyoko, he actually has, but never when she was around, haha, there's a loophole. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter and this fanfic in general, I really do appreciate it. ^^


	19. Chapter 19

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, a short chapter after a long chapter. ^^ Sorry it took so long, I've been pretty busy, haha. Well, school ends in three weeks, so then i'l have more time to write! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their favorites list and story alerts. I really truly do appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: This is for Savannah Cullen, Johonna Marie, and ItaSaku29. Because when I finally decided to write the first draft yesterday, your three reviews made me keep going even when I wanted to stop, so thanks for the help, haha. ^^

Disclaimer: Skip Beat! and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Yoshiki Nakamura. I only own this fanfic, and the characters I've personally created. ^^

Chapter 19

Yashiro paced back and forth as he waited for Ren and Kyoko to return, with Sasaki and Takumi quietly eating lunch in the background. 'Where are they?'

He'd long since finished his paperwork, and had been mentally preparing his lecture for Ren ever since. Takumi had mentioned earlier that this would be the stage that would eat up the most time - two and a half hours worth, to be exact. Yashiro had decided to be patient, and wait at the main set.

However, as Takumi had arrived back at the main set 15 minutes ago, with Sasaki close behind him, he'd become increasingly worried. Anxiously wringing his hands, Yashiro mentally panicked. 'Where are they?!'

Normally, he'd have been very happy, no, ecstatic, that Ren and Kyoko were having some "alone time", but considering the atmosphere they'd left in, it didn't seem like a good idea to leave the two of them alone for an extended period of time at the moment.

Finally catching sight of them out of the corner of his eye, he turned towards them to gain a better grasp on the situation, only to freeze at the view before him.

They were still rather far away, walking at a fairly slow pace, but what struck Yashiro as most odd, was the fact that they were both smiling, and rather happily at that. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he chuckled quietly. 'Looks like he won't be needing that lecture after all.'

Ren and Kyoko headed towards Yashiro, stopping in front of him. Yashiro grinned slyly. "I assume you two have made up by now?"

Kyoko gave him a small nod, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks. Ren merely gazed at Yashiro silently in response.

Yashiro clapped his hands together with glee. "Good."

Once he noticed that Ren and Kyoko had arrived back on set, Sasaki excused himself and quickly walked towards Kyoko. Stopping directly in front of her, he asked quietly, "Are you alright now?"

Kyoko smiled cheerfully. "Hai! Thank you for worrying about me, Sasaki onii-san!"

Both Ren and Yashiro stared at her in shock, dumbfounded.

Sasaki merely inclined his head, seeming to relax just a bit. "Good."

Kyoko smiled widely, now in a very good mood.

"What... did you just call him?" Yashiro asked. Ren stayed mute, only mentally echoing Yashiro's question.

Kyoko turned to look at Yashiro. "Sasaki onii-san." She answered innocently.

"And you're okay with that?" He asked Sasaki, unable to believe his ears.

Sasaki nodded in agreement.

Yashiro shut his mouth, stupefied by this development.

Seeing as Yashiro had finished his little interview, Sasaki walked past Kyoko to Ren's side. Whispering in a low voice so only Ren could hear, he murmured, "I don't know what happened between you two earlier, but, as she seems okay now, I'll let you go this time. However, if you ever hurt her like that again, I won't forgive you."

Feeling defensive, Ren graced him with a gentlemanly smile. "You seem to be taking your role as 'Sasaki onii-san' very seriously."

"Who wouldn't want to protect their 'imouto'." Sasaki shot back.

Stunned into momentary silence, Ren stared at him strangely for a minute. Getting his voice back, he blurted out without thinking. "Then what does that make me?"

Sasaki just looked at him for a moment, murmuring something almost inaudible, before turning back to Kyoko. "Lunch?" He inquired softly.

Kyoko nodded her head vigorously. "Hai!"

Ignoring Ren, Sasaki motioned for Kyoko to join him.

Yashiro watched curiously as Kyoko happily skipped alongside Sasaki. "Ren, what did Sasaki san say to you? Ren?" Hearing no response, Yashiro looked at Ren, only to see a blank expression covering his face. "Ren!"

"Excuse me." Ren said darkly, and walked towards his dressing room.

"Ren!"

Blocking out Yashiro's voice, Ren closed the door behind him.

_"Then, what does that make me?"_

_Sasaki just looked at him for a moment, before saying in an almost inaudible voice, "Imouto chan's boyfriend."_

Leaning against the door, he looked up to see his face in the mirror. Closing his eyes, he covered his mouth with his right hand, laughing quietly as he felt his face turn even redder. 'Is that right?' His smile turned bittersweet. 'Calling me her senpai would be more fitting.'

"Tsuruga san!" The voice calling him from the other side of the door pulled him out of his reverie.

"Tsuruga san! You can't skip lunch! Even if you're not hungry, you have to take care of your body!" Kyoko pursed her lips in annoyance. Knocking repeatedly on the door, her eyes narrowed. "Tsuruga sa-!"

Kyoko stumbled forward in surprise as the door suddenly opened, running into Ren.

Ren smiled brightly. "Alright then, let's go."

Kyoko looked at Ren warily, noticing a light flush of red on his cheeks that quickly faded away after she pulled away from him. "Uh, hai..."

Reaching the table, Kyoko took her seat next to Sasaki, with Ren and Yashiro across from her. "Make sure you finish the entire bento." Kyoko admonished.

"Hai hai, Kyoko." Ren said teasingly, and began eating.

Satisfied that Ren was finally doing what he was supposed to, she turned her attention to Sasaki, looking closely at his facial features for the first time since she'd been formally introduced to him. 'Sasaki onii-san really is nothing like that baka, I can't believe I mistook him for Sho earlier.' She bowed her head in silent apology.

Sasaki turned around at the sight of Kyoko's lowered posture. "Kyoko chan, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Kyoko said frantically. 'I definitely can't tell Sasaki onii-san, he'd be extremely insulted by the comparison!'

"Kyoko chan..." Sasaki said softly. Leaning closer to her, he looked her straight in the eye. "What's wrong?"

Unable to look away from his all-knowing gray eyes, Kyoko burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Sasaki onii-san!"

Leaning back a little, to give her a bit more space, he asked, "Why are you apologizing, you've done nothing wrong."

"I'm so sorry I mistook you for that baka earlier!" Kyoko wailed.

"Baka?" Sasaki repeated, puzzled.

"She means Fuwa Sho." Ren answered, Kyoko's shameful nod confirming his response.

"It's alright, Kyoko chan." Sasaki said, trying to reassure the sobbing little girl.

Kyoko shook her head furiously, her hair almost whacking Sasaki in the face. "No! It's the worst insult I could have done to you, Sasaki onii-san! I'm so sorry! So sorry!"

"Do you still think I resemble Fuwa Sho?" Sasaki asked gently.

Kyoko finally looked up, tears still falling one by one from her eyes. "No! Of course not! You're nothing like that baka, Sasaki onii-san!"

Sasaki laughed quietly, startling Kyoko into stopping her tears. "Then you have nothing to apologize for."

"But-!"

"You have nothing to apologize for." Sasaki repeated firmly, once again looking her directly in the eye.

"H-hai..." Kyoko said hesitantly. 'He's not mad at me, at all...'

Kyoko bowed respectfully in her seat. "Arigatou, Sasaki onii-san."

Sasaki nodded his head once in affirmation. He looked at Ren, calmly inquiring, "Who is Fuwa Sho?"

"A singer, and Kyoko's childhood friend." Ren replied frankly.

Kyoko slammed her hands down onto the table. "That baka is not my friend!" She yelled defensively.

"Then what is he?" Sasaki asked quietly.

Kyoko stayed silent for a moment, glancing uneasily at Ren, before answering in a hate-filled voice. "My enemy."

Takumi's ears perked up at this little tidbit, privately smiling at the hardened mask that was currently Ren's face. 'Oh? Interesting...' He mentally sighed in a sarcastic manner. 'It would have been more fun if I'd invited him along instead of Sasaki. Well, this will have to do for now.' Shifting his gaze to Sasaki, who was focusing all his attention on Kyoko at the moment, his eyes narrowed. 'You'll make up for it, won't you, Sasaki?'

A/N: Well, I hope you liked that little chapter, it sure was ward to figure out how to write, haha. ^^ I appreciate everyone who read this chapter and this fanfic, you guys are awesome. ^^


	20. Chapter 20

Ren's Birthday

A/N: I thought I wouldn't be allowed to type up this chapter for another week, but luckily that wasn't the case, so yay! Another chapter's out! ^^ It took me so long to figure out everyone's outfits for this chapter, that was probably what gave me the most trouble this time around, but I think it came out okay. ^^ I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites list. I really truly do appreciate it. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I just own this fanfic and my own OCs. ^^

Chapter 20

Ren mentally rolled his eyes at Yashiro's continuous squealing as he took out the set of clothing for stage 5.

"Ren! I can't believe that you and Kyoko are finally making progress! I'm so proud of you!" Yashiro squealed, a sparkly look in his eyes.

_"Make sure you finish the entire bento." Kyoko admonished._

_"Hai hai, Kyoko." Ren said teasingly, and began eating._

_Yashiro nearly choked on the tamagoyaki he was eating, the sweet taste wafting up his nose, making his eyes water just a bit._

_Taking a few sips of water to wash it down, he glanced over at the pair on his left to make sure no one had seen his little blunder._

_Giving Ren a sidelong glance, he smiled furtively, his eyes narrowed, the glint in his eyes reflected in his glasses. 'Ren, you sly dog! When did this happen?!'_

Yashiro gave Ren a mischievous look. "What did you two do that took so long to get back from the stage set?"

Ren just gave Yashiro a gentlemanly smile as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Nothing. We just walked at a slow pace."

Yashiro involuntarily took a step back from the force of Ren's smile, but the strength of his curiosity made him press on regardless. "It can't be nothing. You two must have done something in order for that Kyoko chan to let you call her name so informally!"

The intensity of Ren's smile increased dramatically, practically shouting at Yashiro, 'Stop asking!' "Really, nothing happened, Yashiro san."

Yashiro pouted, extremely unsatisfied with Ren's answer, but unwilling to anger him any further. "Well, it was more surprising how Kyoko chan called Sasaki san 'Sasaki onii-san'." Yashiro said, pretending to be Kyoko and batting his eyes in a coquettish manner.

"Hn, I guess so." Ren murmured, reminded of when he'd seen Kyoko hug Sasaki earlier.

"Poor Ren." Yashiro said teasingly. "You have a rival for Kyoko chan's affection now."

Ren sent an extremely brief, but excruciatingly harsh glare in Yashiro's direction, startling Yashiro into blinking twice. By the time Yashiro's eyes were focused enough to look at Ren clearly, Ren's usual pleasant expression was back in place, making Yashiro wonder if he'd just been imagining things.

Remaining silent, Ren walked out of his dressing room, leaving Yashiro rooted to the spot, his body reacting to the threat inherent in Ren's earlier expression even if his mind could not consciously understand what had just happened.

Ren's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Kyoko talking happily with Sasaki, who wasn't really responding at all, except for focusing his attention on the girl. Relaxing his facial features so as not to give himself away, Ren walked towards them in a leisurely manner.

Kyoko's eyes widened as she caught sight of Ren's outfit. Her eyes darted back and forth between herself and Ren, smiling brightly as he came with hearing distance. "It looks like our outfits match this time, Tsuruga san."

Confused by her meaning, Ren looked over her carefully.

Wearing a clingy, bright silver, short-sleeved silk blouse, with teal undertones just underneath, it looked as though the teal had stained the blouse and was slowly seeping through. The shallow V-neck emphasized the elegant line of her neck as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes still twinkling brightly along with her smile.

The flashier blouse was offset by the dark gray cotton leggings that stopped mid-calf. The black slipper-shaped sandals completed the transformation from light to dark. To keep her neck bare, her hair was twisted up and clipped with a silvery white claw hair clip, making her cheekbones stand out without the veil of hair surrounding her face.

"How so?" Ren finally asked, unable to find anything that "matched" in their outfits.

Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled cheerfully. Opening her eyes, she answered, "The teal, of course!"

Ren's eyes lit in understanding. Mentally smiling, he thought, 'I wouldn't really call that matching.' "Of course." He murmured, hiding the little smile that had found its way into his expression.

Ren was wearing a long-sleeve, teal dress shirt that was the exact same shade as the undertones of teal in Kyoko's blouse, with vertical black stripes. Dark khaki slacks added to the overall effect of the subdued colors, with black dress shoes to complement the black stripes. His hair was styled to look tousled and slightly messy, in contrast to his neat clothing, the only connection being the two black collar buttons that were left undone.

Ren had no trouble wiping the unwanted smile off his face once Kyoko stepped back to stand next to Sasaki once again, smiling sweetly up at Sasaki while continuing her conversation with Ren. "Sasaki onii-san and I match too!"

Sasaki's mouth tilted upwards as he gave Kyoko a small nod, noticing Ren's displeasure to their proximity, though Ren maintained his calm exterior.

Referring to what Kyoko meant, Sasaki was wearing a dull gold, dressy t-shirt that complemented her silver blouse, adding warmth to the cool silver. The gold coloring highlighted his own natural gold streaks further still, making them stand out prominently against his golden brown hair in the mid-day sun. The dark brown slacks brought out the richness in his brown locks, as his outfit seemed designed to match and amplify his hair's natural warm tones. His gray eyes and black dress shoes providing the only balance to cool his attire down.

"Kyoko chan." Sasaki murmured.

"Yes?" Kyoko asked, still smiling up at Sasaki still form.

"It's about time for us to start stage 5." He answered, not taking his eyes off of Ren's face.

"Oh! Right! Let's go!" Kyoko exclaimed. Walking towards stage 5's set, she motioned for Sasaki to follow.

Ren watched as Kyoko and Sasaki walked away from him, an uncomfortable sensation welling up inside him.

Kyoko came to a halt as she realized Ren hadn't moved an inch from where he was currently standing. "Tsuruga san!" She called. "We can't be late!"

Slowly, Ren's legs started moving towards Kyoko of their own volition, the uncomfortable sensation melting away as he smiled genuinely. "Alright."

Satisfied that Ren was finally heading towards the stage set, Kyoko faced forward and ran to catch up with Sasaki, desperate to get away from Ren's light. Reaching Sasaki's side, Kyoko smiled widely as Sasaki turned his head towards her in acknowledgment.

_"Poor Ren. You have a rival for Kyoko chan's affection now."_

The uncomfortable sensation came back full force, threatening to spill over into his expression. 'I guess "onii-san" wins over a "senpai".' He thought bitterly.

Ren froze, shocked by the thought that had just passed through his head. A surprised laugh forced its way out as he pushed himself to keep walking. 'What am I doing, moping like this?' Realizing that Kyoko and Sasaki were no longer in sight, he started walking faster. 'Besides, that "onii-san" called me "imouto-chan's boyfriend".'

A predatory light gleamed in his eyes as he finally caught sight of Kyoko again, who was standing in between Takumi and Sasaki.

Kyoko's eyes widened considerably as hers met those of the Emperor of the Night, as Ren smiled solely for her. She slumped over in relief once he broke eye contact. 'Why would the Emperor of the Night appear now of all times?!' Kyoko thought, dread pouring through her veins. Not wanting to think about it any longer, she forcefully ejected the thought and deliberately turned her attention away from Ren.

Sliding his gaze languidly over to Sasaki, the Emperor of the Night gave way to the Demon King just a little, as he waited for Sasaki to look his way.

Finally getting what he wanted, Ren's smile changed to a slightly competitive smirk. With both the Demon King and the Emperor of the Night evident in his body language, Ren mentally drawled, 'Onii-san, Kyoko's mine.'

A/N: Well, that was the end of my 20th chapter. Honestly, when I first started this fanfic, I thought it wouldn't go beyond chapter 10, that was a grave miscalculation, haha.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, no matter how many times I write it here, I really do mean it, I really appreciate it. ^^


	21. Chapter 21

Ren's Birthday

A/N: I really really didn't mean to take this long to write this chapter, I just got kind of... stuck, haha. ^^ Well, it's done now, and I already have an idea for the beginning of chapter 22, so that one shouldn't take nearly as long, hopefully anyways, haha.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites lists. I really do appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: My Mom, because she helped me figure out this one line that took me a week to realize how I wanted to write it. Yes, I spent an entire week trying to figure out how I wanted to write one line, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic and the original characters that I've created. ^^

Chapter 21

Sasaki noticed Kyoko's minute fidgeting, her face clearly turned away from where she'd been practically gawking at a few seconds earlier. Murmuring in a soft voice so only Kyoko could hear, Sasaki asked, "Kyoko chan, what's wrong?"

Slightly startled by Sasaki's sudden question, Kyoko answered nervously, not meeting Sasaki eyes. "N-nothing."

"If you say so..." Sasaki said slowly, respecting Kyoko's reluctance to voice her concerns out loud.

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, he turned this head to face the direction Kyoko had been staring in earlier, only to find Ren, an unfamiliar expression on his face. A gleam of irritation flashed through Sasaki's eyes, his mouth flattening out into a thin line. 'You never learn, do you?'

Takumi's eyes lit up in delight at the tension between Ren and Sasaki. 'Sasaki, you never do disappoint me.' Takumi laughed quietly.

Kyoko looked at Director Takumi curiously. "Director Takumi?"

Takumi smiled. "It's nothing, Kyoko." Pretending to have just noticed Ren, Takumi called out, "Ah, Tsuruga san, you're here, good. We need to start soon. Sasaki, I need to talk to you for a moment."

Sasaki nodded his head and quietly made his way over to Takumi's side, his expression still showing remnants of his agitated state.

'Oh? This might go better than I thought.' "I want you to direct C-kun's anger and frustration towards B-kun, while giving A-ko the impression that she deserves someone better than B-kun." Takumi's eyes narrowed as he continued in a low voice. "Make sure that towards the end, you clearly express C-kun's disgust over how B-kun is treating A-ko. That will be all."

"Hai, Director Takumi!"

Takumi's eyes widened for a moment at Sasaki's unexpectedly energetic reply. "Good. Alright then, let's get started!"

The three models slowly walked towards the beautiful white gazebo. Normally, such a well designed gazebo, surrounded by large, leafy trees which provide cooling shade, alongside a deep lake, shaded from the sun, that was so dark a blue, it could be mistaken for black, would give most people the impression of a calm, soothing atmosphere, where you feel as if you could relax here peacefully for hours and hours on end.

However, people can either be influenced by their environment's atmosphere, or change it to fit their mood using only the strength of their emotions. The darkness of the emotion portrayed in this particular stage changed the original atmosphere into one that seemed stifling, the lack of sun adding a thickness to the air in addition to the already intense mood they were creating.

At Takumi's signal, Ren pulled Kyoko into the gazebo, so only their upper bodies were visible to the camera, while glaring at Sasaki, not necessarily in an enraged manner, but angrily smug, like a demonic Emperor of the Night. The mantra 'She's mine, Kyoko's mine!' running through his head like a broken record made it easy for Ren to do exactly what Takumi wanted.

With Ren hugging her so tightly from behind, binding her arms to her sides, Kyoko was completely restrained by Ren, unable to move her upper body except for her head, which she used to her advantage by tilting her head up to look at Ren, her upset expression practically screaming 'Let go of me!'

Sasaki donned a startled expression a few feet away on the gravel path to the gazebo, as if he had just caught sight of them inside the open wooden structure. His expression slowly changed into one of anger and frustration as he transitioned to the realization of Ren's intentions in binding Kyoko to him at this point of time, in plain view.

His focus shifted to Kyoko, who now had her head tilted back against Ren's chest, her apparent distress at being seen in such a position was evident in her widened eyes.

Sasaki stood in a stiff manner, not moving a muscle except for his expressive face as he observed the scene being laid out before him. His displeasure at Kyoko being treated in such a way was made obvious, giving Kyoko a silent message that Ren picked up on as well. 'You deserve someone better than him.'

'Oh ho, good improv Sasaki.' Takumi's mouth stretched into a grin, the whites of his teeth bared behind his camera in a threatening manner.

Suspicion clouding his once clear, if emotionally charged eyes, Ren pulled Kyoko farther into the gazebo, as if now trying to shield Kyoko from Sasaki's view. The teal blue of his shirt blending with the matching teal highlights in her silver blouse, making them stand out more prominently.

Unlike the usual sparkly aura, which either attracted people or acted as a warning, Ren, acting as if he truly felt threatened by Sasaki, started emitting pheromones, so strong that even Takumi, who was not anywhere near the trio, and Yashiro, who had just walked into the clearing, could feel it.

After enduring Ren's insane pheromones for over an hour, finally, finally, they were on the last pose. Kyoko's arms were no longer bound to her sides, but were held straight up by Ren, as he tilted her head towards him with his free hand, his other hand gripping her wrists, holding her up so roughly that she was forced to stand on her tiptoes to keep her balance.

Although she had been able to stay in character the entire time, Kyoko was barely able to keep her composure throughout the photo shoot, having been severely affected at having Ren, not only become the Emperor of the Night, and a demonic one at that, but overwhelm her mind with the pheromones that he hadn't stopped emitting since earlier. By this pose, Kyoko's eyes were completely glazed over from the sensory overload caused by Ren's pheromones.

Sasaki stood just outside the entrance of the gazebo, unable to force his way into the bubble of intimacy that Ren and Kyoko had immersed themselves in. His pity for Kyoko and disgust at Ren's actions was written clearly across his face as he gripped one the gazebo's pillars so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

Takumi stared through the camera lens at the trio before him, unable to believe that this was the outcome of all the tension that had built up between Sasaki and Ren earlier -it gave him the ability to take photos that were far better than he had imagined possible. He gave a passing thought to Kyoko's condition, but in the end just gave a satisfied "Okay!" to end the shoot, extremely pleased at their work for this stage.

As soon as Ren let go of Kyoko's wrists, she started to fall forward, too unsteady to keep herself upright on her own. Ren quickly grabbed Kyoko's waist, pulling her against him for support. Bending over a bit to look at Kyoko's expression, Ren asked in a worried tone, "Kyoko, are you alright?!"

Kyoko gave no reply, as Ren was still exuding pheromones that were overwhelming her ability to speak, and threatening to make her faint.

"Kyoko?"

After struggling with her vocal chords, a thin, reedy voice was heard, so different from Kyoko's normal voice, whispering, "Too much... it's too much!"

Sasaki leapt into action, realizing immediately what Kyoko was trying to say. Catching Ren off-guard, Sasaki ripped Kyoko out of Ren's arms, and proceeded to carry her princess style. "Better?" He asked her softly, doing his best not to disturb her too much.

Kyoko smiled weakly and nodded gratefully, relaxing a little now that she was no longer in direct contact with Ren, and folding her hands in her lap.

The movement caught Sasaki's eye and he stilled, something inside him slowly fraying, ready to break at any moment.

He turned back to look at Ren, giving him a stare filled with such rage that Takumi, who had been observing this little interlude, as a photographer, couldn't help but capture this picture-perfect view on film.

In a voice laced with venom, Sasaki hissed, "For her own good, stay away from her!"

Shocked by the intensity in Sasaki's eyes, Ren wasn't able to answer until Sasaki had already started walking away. "Why?"

Seemingly ignoring Ren, Sasaki whispered to Kyoko in a gentle voice, "Kyoko chan, can you lift up your right arm to show Tsuruga san?"

Kyoko nodded. "Okay, Sasaki onii-san." Ever so slowly, she lifted her arm above Sasaki's shoulder, so that her wrist was in plain view.

_"...it's just that my wrist is still a bit sore from being wrapped too tightly and not being able to move it for so long."_

Ren froze, daggers of ice piercing his heart as he saw what he had done to her. Pinkish red, her delicate wrist was already starting to show signs of bruising.

"Now do you understand?" Sasaki spoke quietly, sending shivers down Kyoko's spin.

"Yes." The utter defeat written in that one solitary word frightened Kyoko.

'Tsuruga san? It's gone...' Putting her arm back down, Kyoko looked over Sasaki's shoulder to see something she never wished to see again. "Sasaki onii-san, you can put me down now."

Sasaki's arms tightened around Kyoko. "Not yet." Kyoko looked up at Sasaki, only to see a pained expression covering his face. "Just... not yet."

"If I'm that heavy, just put me down." Kyoko ventured.

Sasaki gave a harsh laugh. "You're not heavy at all, Kyoko chan." Turning the corner, both the stage set and Ren were soon completely out of sight. Abruptly stopping, he looked down at Kyoko. "Are you sure you're alright now?"

Kyoko smiled cheerfully, trying to give Sasaki at least a little peace of mind. "Yep, I'm fine!"

Sasaki nodded his head, tension slowly seeping away from his body. Bit by bit, he set Kyoko down. To make sure she wouldn't stumble, he kept a firm hold on her.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Kyoko let go of Sasaki. "Thank you for helping me Sasaki onii-san, but I think you should go back first. I'll follow you in a minute." Kyoko murmured, hiding her wrist behind her back.

Sasaki closed his eyes, not wanting Kyoko to see the feelings that he knew would be in plain sight if he didn't. "Are you sure?"

Kyoko nodded her head, though she knew Sasaki couldn't see her. "Yes." She replied clearly.

Sasaki sighed, when he opened his eyes, his usual blank expression was firmly in place. "Very well, it's your choice." 'I just hope you don't regret it, imouto chan.'

Kyoko bowed formally. "Thank you, Sasaki onii-san." 'I'm sorry.' She ran back towards the stage set, leaving Sasaki to walk back to the main set alone.

A/N: Okay, just in case people don't understand a certain part, I'll try to clear it up, as I couldn't find a good spot to do it in the actual story. When Kyoko thinks 'Tsuruga san? It's gone...' What's gone is the pheromones, hope that helps. ^^

Thank you to everyone who had taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic. It always makes me really happy when someone reads this story. ^^


	22. Chapter 22

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Hehe, I finished this chapter pretty fast if I do say so myself, so I'm happy right now. ^^ I hope anyone who's reading this is happy as well, cause this isn't exactly a happy chapter, but I bet you guys could have guessed that. ^^ Well, it's a little shorter, but I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites lists, It always makes me very happy, and I really appreciate it! ^^

Dedication: to renandkyokoinabucket, because your review gave me some inspiration for how I wanted to portray Ren in this chapter. Thank you! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own skip beat1 or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic and my original characters that I created. ^^

Chapter 22

"Ren, Ren!"

Ren jerked backwards in surprise. Doing his best to smile, although it wasn't much, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" Yashiro looked down at Ren, who was kneeling on the ground. "What happened? You look like you've lost all the color in your face."

Ren faced away from Yashiro, staring at the ground. "Do I now?"

"Tsuruga san!"

"Kyoko..." Ren's eyes widened. Looking up to see Kyoko running towards them, he unconsciously started to break out into a smile at her vivacity.

_"For her own good, stay away from her!"_

Ren's face went blank. Quickly getting to his feet, Ren looked away from Kyoko, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Tsuruga san, are you alright?" Kyoko asked, her concern for Ren shining through her voice.

'Am I alright? Is that something you should be asking the person who hurt you... bruised you just now?!' Ren closed his eyes, answering in a cold, dead voice. "I'm fine, Mogami san."

"Tsuruga san?" Kyoko took a step forward. "Just now, you called... me..."

"Mogami san, you should head back to the main set to get your wrist looked at." Ren backed away, putting more distance between them.

"Ren," Yashiro frowned. "What happened to Kyoko's wrist?"

Kyoko smiled nervously, answering before Ren. "Oh, it's just a bit sore, that's all... Tsuruga san? Tsuruga san!" Hurt flashed through Kyoko's eyes as Ren walked as fast as he could without running back to the main set, away from Kyoko.

Kyoko hung her head. "Tsuruga san... really hates me, doesn't he? He wouldn't even look at me..."

"Kyoko chan, Ren doesn't hate you, not at all!" Yashiro insisted. 'He didn't seem angry at her this time. I don't understand that man!'

"He called me 'Mogami san' again." Kyoko whispered sadly.

"Kyoko chan..." 'Damn it Ren!' Yashiro mentally cursed.

"Kyoko!" Takumi called, finally putting his camera down. "We need to get back to the main set now!"

"H-hai, Director Takumi!" Kyoko answered. Pasting a cheerful smile on her face, she turned to Yashiro. "Let's go!"

"Y-yeah..." Yashiro looked at Kyoko carefully, noticing the strain the overly bright smile put on her. "Try talking to Ren once we get back, okay?" Yashiro coaxed.

Kyoko nodded her head vigorously. "Right!" 'He didn't look angry... but...' Kyoko's eyes blazed with determination. 'Why wouldn't he look at me?!' Going back in the same manner in which she had come, Kyoko took off at full speed, leaving Yashiro behind in the dust.

Yashiro coughed repeatedly, waving his hands around to try to dispel the dust cloud that Kyoko had kicked up. 'At least she's still full of energy.'

Nearing the main set, Ren did his best to keep a presentable face on, hard as it was. 'I can't believe myself, how could I have been so careless?! Sasaki san's right. I should keep my distance from her, at least for a while, before I hurt her any further...'

"TSUUURUUUGAAA SAAAN!!!" Ren stopped in his tracks, feeling the ground tremble slightly as something came flying towards him. "TSURUGA SAN!!! Why? Why were you acting so cold to me? Please! Tell me what I did wrong! Tsuruga san!" A familiar voice wailed.

An image of a person slowly appeared through the dust whirlwind that had arisen so suddenly. Kyoko, breathing a little heavier than earlier, stood before him. "Please, tell me what I did wrong, Tsuruga san!" Kyoko repeated.

Ren took a step back. Recovering his composure, he refused to look at Kyoko. "What... makes you think you've done anything wrong?" Ren asked, making sure Kyoko couldn't see his eyes.

Kyoko frowned. 'He still won't look at me.' "Then, if I haven't done anything wrong, why are you backing away from me?" She asked in a distressed voice.

"Eh?" Ren looked down, realizing that he'd been slowly backing away from Kyoko the entire time. Putting on a gentlemanly smile, Ren set his eyes to focus on a point above Kyoko's head. "I'm not." He lied smoothly.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. 'He's definitely lying!' "Yes you a-"

"Kyoko, Tsuruga san! You two can chat later, go back to the main set now!" Takumi barked, secretly laughing inside. 'Ah, this is such fun!'

"Hai!" They answered in unison, quickly walking the rest of the distance back to the main set in silence.

"Ah, Sasaki, you're here already, good." Motioning for Sasaki to join their little group, Takumi quickly checked his watch. 'Damn, I'm running out of time.' "We're done for today. I have to be at another photo shoot in less than an hour, so I need to get out of here soon. Tomorrow, we'll be starting at 10:00AM sharp, so don't even think about being late. Also, we'll be staying on the main set for the last three stages, so don't go wandering off trying to find the next stage set. That is all." Turning to Sasaki, Takumi clapped his hand onto Sasaki's shoulder. "Sasaki, you did a fantastic job today. I look forward to working with you in the future."

Sasaki bowed politely. "Thank you, Director Takumi. I look forward to it as well."

"Sasaki onii-san... won't be here tomorrow?" Kyoko asked, looking up at Sasaki in a manner that begged him to deny it.

Sasaki shook his head. "No. My job was only to model for stages 4 and 5."

Kyoko protested, not wanting him to leave. "But-"

"Mogami san." Ren called quietly.

Kyoko took a step back, hanging her head in shame. "Hai." Kyoko whispered.

Sasaki looked at Ren questioningly.

Catching Sasaki's gaze, Ren closed his eyes and bowed his head for a few seconds, as if in affirmation.

"Eh?" Kyoko raised her eyes only to find a blank spot where Takumi had been a moment ago. "Where is Director Takumi?"

Sasaki turned around, with Kyoko following his line of sight, and motioned towards the parking lot, where Takumi could be seen putting his equipment back into his car.

Kyoko's eyes widened. "That... was really quick. He wasn't kidding when he said that he needed to get out of here."

"We should go change as well." Sasaki commented quietly.

Kyoko grabbed the ends of Sasaki's sleeve, stopping him from moving towards his dressing room. "Don't leave right away, wait for me to come back out, okay?" Kyoko implored.

Sasaki sighed, lightly patting her head with his free hand. "Alright, I'll wait for you here."

Kyoko smiled widely. "Arigatou, Sasaki onii-san!"

"Kyoko chan..."

"Yes?" Kyoko looked up at him, looking like a little girl even considering what she was wearing at the moment.

"My sleeve." Sasaki murmured, looking down at where Kyoko had grabbed his shirt.

Kyoko immediately let go. "I'm so sorry Sasaki onii-san!"

Sasaki smiled faintly. "It's alright, no harm done." Shooting a parting glance at Ren, Sasaki went to go change.

Turning towards Ren, who hadn't made a move to leave yet, Kyoko called, "Tsuruga san, before we-"

"Mogami san, from now on, I would appreciate it if we kept our distance from each other outside of work." Ren said dully, still not willing to look directly at Kyoko's face.

"Tsuruga... san." Kyoko whispered, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Of course, I will still pick you up and drop you off for the duration of this photo shoot, as I had promised you I would beforehand." Ren continued, his hair falling forward to cover his expression.

"Is that so..." Kyoko began quietly, willing her voice not to break. "I just wanted to ask you if you could open the trunk of your car later so I can give Sasaki onii-san a box of chocolate before he leaves."

"Of course." Ren replied. "If you'll excuse me." Ren quickly walked to his dressing room without looking back.

Finally grabbing the door handle, Ren pulled himself inside, locking the door behind him so Yashiro wouldn't be able to come in. Keeping his mind as blank as possible, Ren hurriedly changed into his own clothing.

Finished, he moved to leave when he saw his reflection in the huge mirror beside him. 'So that's what Yashiro san meant.' Ren thought, laughing bitterly at his colorless face.

Slowly sinking, he looked down in surprise when his knees hit the ground, his hands following soon after. With his head down, it was almost as if he was surrendering to something, or someone. 'It's better this way. I'd rather have her erase my existence from her heart than to hurt her anymore than I already have. It's better this way, it... has... to be.'

A/N: I told you it wasn't a happy chapter. ^^ The only person who was remotely happy in this chapter was Takumi, and that's just cause it's Takumi, haha. Well, I've actually already started working on chapter 23, so that's good. Well, I hope you all continue reading as i continue writing, as you all help me out as I write, some by inspiration in little tidbits here and there, and some through just plain encouragement, so thank you all. ^^

Once again I say thank you to everyone who has read this chapter and this fanfic. No matter how many times I say it, I really do mean it. ^^


	23. Chapter 23

Ren's Birthday

I nearly wore out my hands typing this one, I was going so fast, but it was just too easy to write this chapter, so I had to, haha. ^^ This chapter won't be as sad as the last one (I think chapter 22 will probably stay as the saddest chapter in the entire story once I finish this fanfic. ^^). So, I hope you all like it, it was just really really fun to write parts of it, as I told momo, so have fun! ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their favorites and story alerts lists, I really appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: to kilala_kun, because your review really made me feel motivated to write and finish this chapter. ^^ Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I just own this fanfic, plus Tskumi and Sasaki. ^^

Chapter 23

Kyoko discreetly rubbed her eyes one last time as she made her way over to where Sasaki was standing. 'Moko san didn't pick up her phone...' Kyoko thought sadly. Heaving a small sigh, she pasted on a cheerful smile for Sasaki. "Thank for you waiting for me Sasaki onii-chan!"

"I said I'd wait for you, didn't I?" Sasaki turned around to face Kyoko, his eyes immediately scanning her face for any hidden emotions. "Kyoko chan, what's wrong?"

"Eh?" Kyoko asked, trying with all her might to keep her smile in place. "What do you mean?"

Sasaki reached out his hand, lightly brushing his fingers over the redness visible under her eyes. "You've been crying, haven't you? What happened?"

Kyoko shook her head, dislodging Sasaki's touch from her face. "I wasn't crying, no I wasn't. It was just a bit of dirt that got into my eyes. Really, I wasn't crying!" 'Crap, I overdid it!' Kyoko bit her lip and looked away from Sasaki, obviously uncomfortable.

Sasaki sighed, "Can't you at least tell me what happened?"

Kyoko shook her head again. "Nothing happened." 'Please, don't ask anymore, Sasaki onii-san!'

Catching sight of Ren leaving his dressing room, Sasaki slowly nodded. "Alright then. It looks like Tsuruga san's ready to leave as well."

Kyoko whipped her head around to look at Ren. "Oh, Good! I'll be right back, Sasaki onii-san!"

Sasaki watched Kyoko run up to Ren, who practically lurched backwards once Kyoko got too close. Eyes narrowing, he saw Kyoko's small frame droop downwards for a moment before picking itself back up and running towards the parking lot, along with Ren, who decided to go at a walking pace.

Sasaki stood still, slightly confused, wondering what was going on. A few minutes later, he had his answer. Kyoko came running up to him, with Ren following behind her, able to match her speed easily because of his longer legs.

"Sasaki onii-san, this is for you!" Kyoko handed Sasaki a small, white box tied with a red ribbon, identical to the one she had given to Yashiro this morning.

"Is it alright if I open it here?" Sasaki asked, curious as to what Kyoko could have given him, considering the fact that they had just met this morning.

Kyoko smiled happily, genuinely please by Sasaki's question. "Of course!"

Carefully untying the ribbon, Sasaki opened the box, and smiled. 'That's right, today's Valentines Day.' "Kyoko chan, are you sure it's okay to give this to me?"

Kyoko nodded. "I want you to have it, Sasaki onii-san! I made chocolate for today to give to people I wanted to give thanks to, so I made a few extra just in case." Kyoko explained.

Ren almost choked on air as he tried to hold in his laughter, some color finally returning to his face.

Sasaki ignored Ren, instead choosing to focus on Kyoko. "I see, thank you very much, Kyoko chan." Sasaki said warmly.

Kyoko straightened her already impossibly straight posture a little more, holding her head higher as her eyes sparkled. "I'm glad you like it!"

"Might I ask, did you make the same chocolate for everyone?" Sasaki probed, starting to get annoyed by Ren's silent laughing fit behind Kyoko, who was completely unaware of what was going on behind her.

Kyoko started to nod her head, then stopped. "Well, I made the chocolate for Tsuruga san differently, as he doesn't like sweets that much, but the rest are the same kind as yours." Kyoko explained a bit hesitantly.

Shifting his gaze to Ren, he gauged Ren's reaction as he asked, "Then, you made honmei chocolate for Tsuruga san, Kyoko chan?"

Ren immediately stopped laughing, a serious look settling onto his features instead.

"No, of course not." Kyoko answered innocently.

"I see..." Sasaki murmured, noticing the look of wounded acceptance written on Ren's face at Kyoko's answer. "Kyoko chan, I need to talk to Tsuruga san alone for a moment, is that alright?"

Kyoko blinked once. "Of course." Turning around to see Ren directly behind her, Kyoko averted her eyes and went to go find Yashiro.

Ren stepped forward, a gentlemanly smile masking his vague unease. "Yes?"

Sasaki's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you say something to Kyoko chan after I left?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

Sasaki's eyes flashed with anger, forcing Ren to take a step back. "What did you say to her?!"

Ren stood his ground this time, his gentlemanly smile growing brighter. "Why do you need to know?"

Sasaki turned his head to look at Kyoko, who was chatting with Yashiro a few feet away, out of hearing distance. "Her eyes were red, like she'd been crying."

"I... just told her that I'd appreciate it if we kept our distance outside of work from now on." Ren remarked, stunned by Sasaki's observation.

Sasaki closed his eyes for a moment. "Are you an idiot?"

"Eh?" Ren frowned in confusion.

"I asked you, are you an idiot?" Sasaki repeated, opening his eyes, scorn hidden deep in their depths.

"Of course not." Ren replied, unsure as to where this conversation was headed.

"Then why did you say something like that to Kyoko?" Sasaki said sharply, almost making Ren wince mentally at the edge in his voice.

"Because, I thought it would be best for her. Didn't you tell me to stay away from her earlier?" Ren answered defensively, his gentlemanly facade starting to crumble.

"Tsuruga san, you really are an idiot." Sasaki stated coldly.

"What?" His gentlemanly smile back in full force, Ren asked politely, "Now why would you say that?"

"She went back for you, didn't she? To say something like what you said to her after she came back for you, wouldn't you consider that idiotic?" Sasaki explained, a hint of impatience in his words.

_"Tsuruga san, are you alright?"_

Ren's eyes lit in realization. "But, why would she do that?"

Sasaki turned away in exasperation. "Obviously, you are a very important person to her, imouto-chan's boyfriend." He turned his head to glance at Ren. "You _were_ the only person she made special chocolate for to suit your taste, regardless of whether it was honmei chocolate or not."

Ren flushed red at Sasaki's words. 'I really am an idiot, aren't I?' "I understand."

Sasaki smiled grimly. "Good. By the way, I heard from Director Takumi that the Love Me Section, which Kyoko chan is a part of, is a favorite of the President of L.M.E."

"Yes." Ren affirmed, a bit suspicious of Sasaki's train of thought at this point.

Sasaki's smile widened into an evil grin. "Then, it wouldn't be hard to sic the President of L.M.E. on you if you dare to make my imouto-chan cry again, now would it?"

Ren's mouth dropped open in shock. 'Sa-Sasaki-san?!?!'

"You do understand that it's very hard to hold myself back when the person who is responsible for all the suffering my imouto-chan endured today is in front of me, right?"

Ren nodded wordlessly, unable to speak when faced with the terrifying look in Sasaki's eyes.

"Good. Keep your word this time. I won't tolerate you breaking it a second time." Sasaki's expression settled into his usual quiet look. "Lastly, apologize to Kyoko chan." Sasaki stopped and thought for a moment. "Do it the next time you two are alone, but do it soon, or else she'll just be hurt worse."

"R-right." Ren murmured, an overwhelming feeling of relief had come over him once Sasaki had calmed down. 'I never want to see that again.' Ren mentally shuddered.

"Kyoko chan!" Sasaki called.

Kyoko came running over, skidding to a halt directly in front of Sasaki a few seconds later. "Yes, Sasaki onii-san?"

"I need to get going, so, I'll see you later."

"Um, about what I wrote..." Kyoko spoke hesitantly.

Sasaki broke out into a small smile. "Ah... that. My answer is yes, of course." With that said, he turned and walked to the parking lot alone.

Kyoko waved good-bye. "I'll see you soon, Sasaki onii-san!" Kyoko shouted with glee, looking like she was about to jump out of her skin she was so happy.

Ren looked back and forth between Sasaki's retreating figure and Kyoko's sparkling eyes. 'What...?' Ren stilled, realizing the implications of Sasaki leaving. Looking around them, he noticed Yashiro talking with a staff member, leaving Kyoko and Ren alone in their own little corner of the main set. 'Alone... huh.'

Taking a deep breath, he started slowly. "Mogami san, uh... Kyoko..."

Kyoko immediately turned to look at Ren at his use of her first name again. "Y-yes, Tsuruga san?" 'I don't understand.' Kyoko frowned in confusion.

Seeing Kyoko's frown, Ren deflated a bit. 'Maybe she won't forgive me...' Unable to voice out his apology, silence reigned for a moment.

Kyoko's frown changed into an expression of concern as Ren seemed to withdraw into himself. "Tsuruga san, what is it?"

"Oh! Uh..."Ren hedged. Taking another deep breath to re-inflate himself, Ren closed his eyes and bowed his head to Kyoko. "Kyoko, I'm so-"

"Ren!" Yashiro called, walking over to the couple, he stopped on seeing Ren's posture. "Did I come at a bad time?" Yashiro teased, all too ready to give them some alone time together.

Ren sighed. Straightening, he replied in a flat tone. "No, it's alright. What is it?"

Taken aback a bit by the unwelcome feeling he was getting from Ren, Yashiro answered, "I just wanted to ask about when we would be leaving for L.M.E., Kyoko still needs to pass out her chocolate, right?" 'Maybe I really did interrupt something earlier...'

Kyoko nodded. Still confused over what had just happened, she asked, "Tsuruga san, what were you going to say just now?"

Ren looked away from Kyoko. "Let's leave it for another time, Mogami san."

Kyoko stepped towards Yashiro, turning away from Ren. "A-alright then, Tsuruga san." 'What did he want to say to me that he couldn't say in front of Yashiro san?' Kyoko's eyes widened in horror. 'What if it's something so horrible I can't even imagine it?!'

Walking with Ren and Yashiro towards the parking lot, she continued to ponder the issue. 'He... did call me "Kyoko" again though, maybe he's not as angry anymore?' Kyoko shook her head as she slid into her seat in the back, putting on her seat belt. 'But he called me "Mogami san" again when Yashiro san came over, and he wouldn't look at me again.' Swirls of confusion replaced her eyes as her thoughts chased after one another in a never-ending circle.

After enduring this mental torture for 10 more minutes, Kyoko looked out the window, not really paying attention to the scenery passing by. Taking out her phone, she gazed at it with longing. 'I wish I could have talked to Moko san earlier.'

*Bzzt*

Kyoko almost hit her head on the ceiling of the car in surprise, dropping her cell phone on the floor. Grabbing it before it went off somewhere under the seats, she looked at the number, her whole face brightening in delight.

"Moko san?"

A/N: Yeah... I like cliffhangers, haha. ^^ Remember what I said a few chapters back about something fraying inside of Sasaki, about to break? It broke for a minute there, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic. You all are awesome. ^^


	24. Chapter 24

Ren's Birthday

Okay, first off, I sincerely apologize for taking so long to post this chapter, and then posting a short one as well. As numerous people that I've talked to know, I was... discouraged about writing this chapter for quite a while, but I eventually got over it, which is why this chapter is now finished, haha.

Actually, this chapter has pieces of different chapters that I tried to do a parody of. I referenced three different volumes of Skip Beat to make sure I was remembering my facts correctly ^^. If you can guess which three chapters I used, or, which volumes, I don't really mind whichever one you wish to say, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you, because you're awesome, haha.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their story alerts, and favorites list, I always smile whenever someone does, I really do appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: To everyone who helped me out of my slump, and talked to me about this fanfic over the past three weeks. And especially AppleYumi, because, and I'm not kidding, every time I read the review you gave me, I was able to write another paragraph or more of this chapter, so thank you. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I just own this fanfic, Sasaki and Takumi. ^^

Chapter 24

Hearing silence on the other end, Kyoko tried again. "Moko san? Moookooo saaan!!!" She called in a bright, child-like voice.

"Mo! What's with the 'Moookooo saaan!'?" Kyoko winced, holding the phone away from her ear as Moko continued on. "You were crying throughout the entire message, moaning, 'I don't know what to do, help me Moookooo saaan, Tsuruga san doesn't want me as a kouhai anymore...!'"

Moko angrily flipped her hair over her shoulder as she shrieked, "I really thought something terrible had happened to y-!"

*scrish scrish* A faint voice screamed out in the background, "Gyah! Get back on the road!" *crash* *beep beep*

Moko stared at the disconnected phone in horror. Abruptly sitting down on a nearby bench, she hurriedly punched in Kyoko's number.

"We're sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again."

. . .

"Moko san! I'm so sorry!" Kyoko wailed, cradling the broken cell phone in her hands.

Yashiro turned around in his seat, trying to calm Kyoko down. "Ah, Kyoko chan, don't worry, I'm sure Kotonami san will understand if you explain to her what happened."

_Yashiro listened curiously as Moko's voice rang out clearly, the sound filling the entire cab of the car. Giving Ren a sidelong glance, his eyes widened as he overheard Moko's recount of Kyoko's hauntingly depressing message._

_"'I don't know what to do anymore, help me Moookooo saaan, Tsuruga san doesn't want me as a kouhai anymore...!'"_

_Wondering what could have happened between the two of them, Yashiro watched as Ren took on a suspiciously blank expression._

_A few seconds later, the sidewalk came dangerously close to the side of the car, before a loud, high-pitched screeching noise was heard. Putting one hand out to steady himself, Yashiro yelled, "Gyah! Get back on the road!" which seemed to snap Ren out of his stupor, as he righted the car a few seconds later._

_"Ahhhh!"_

_Both Ren and Yashiro jumped a bit at the sudden sound. Turning around, Yashiro looked back, but saw no one in the backseat._

_"I,I broke Moko san! Moko saaan, I'm so sorry! Wahhh!"_

_Looking down, Yashiro found Kyoko kneeling on the floor of the car, cradling her cell phone, which was obviously broken. "Kyoko chan, what happened?"_

_Kyoko sniffed quietly, looking up a Yashiro with watery eyes. "I let my cell phone hit the window." Fresh tears pouring from her eyes, Kyoko cried over the now wet and sparking cell phone. "Moko saaan! I'm so sorry!"_

Yashiro hurriedly searched his pockets for his cell phone. Finally grabbing hold of it, a smile of relief softened his expression as Yashiro spoke in a soothing voice. "Kyoko chan, look."

Taking it out of his pocket, Yashiro held the phone up right when Kyoko finally stopped crying. "You can use my phone to call Kotonami san."

Kyoko bowed as best she could in a car, almost slamming her head into the back of Yashiro's seat in her fervor. "Arigatou, Yashiro san!"

Looking down, Yashiro's eyes widened in horror. "Kyoko chan! Take the phone, hurry!" Practically, shoving the phone into Kyoko's hands, Yashiro withdrew his own in a manner as if it had been burned.

"Eh?" Kyoko looked down at the new cell phone that was next to her own pitifully shattered cell phone (it was practically broken in two, the poor thing). Looking back up at Yashiro,a puzzled expression replaced the tears of gratitude that had been pouring down her face like twin waterfalls just a moment ago. "Eh?"

"Ah," Yashiro laughed a bit awkwardly as he held up his hand for Kyoko to see. "I forgot to put on rubber gloves before I touched my cell phone."

Kyoko stared at Yashiro strangely, whispering in a depressing voice, "Yashiro san really is an alien..."

"Kyoko chan!" Yashiro protested. "I'm not an alien!" Pouting a little, his face turned childish for a second, before reverting back to adult mode. "You should probably try and see if the phone still works or not, I'm not sure if I held it longer than ten seconds."

Kyoko bit the inside of her lip lightly as she firmly pressed the little red button on the phone, lighting up along with the phone's screen as it started the process of turning on. "Ah, it worked!" Kyoko smiled brilliantly in relief. "Thank you so much, Yashiro san!"

"Uh, Kyoko chan..." Yashiro said hesitantly.

Kyoko innocently tilted her head to the side, blinking her finally clear eyes twice. "Yes?"

Yashiro's eyes slid away from Kyoko's as he pointed towards the cell phone.

A flashing light caught Kyoko's eye as she looked down. "Eh?!" *Low battery, shutting down* Almost immediately, the screen went black.

Yashiro panicked a bit as large tears slowly rolled down Kyoko's cheeks, faster and faster, although no sound was heard, as if she had been put on silent mode. Knowing that that wouldn't last long, Yashiro wracked his brain for a way to calm Kyoko down when he noticed that they were pulling into the parking lot of L.M.E. headquarters. 'Oh, thank god.'

As Yashiro predicted, the damn on Kyoko's voice quickly shattered as the sheer volume of Kyoko's wailing practically pushed him against the side of the car.

"Moko san, I'm so sorry!!! I'm a horrible best friend!!!"

Mentally groaning, Yashiro thought, 'I'm surprised Ren could stay silent throughout this whole ordeal, seeing as it is his fault...' Looking over towards the driver's seat, Yashiro's mouth dropped open a bit. 'Eh? He's... not there...?'

A second later, amidst the now very loud sound of Kyoko bawling, Yashiro heard Kyoko's door open quietly.

"Mogami san." Getting no response, Ren tried again. "Mogami san, we've arrived at L.M.E."

Kyoko sniffed, valiantly trying to stop her tears as she nodded in reply.

Noting Kyoko's tortured expression, Ren closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "Here."

Kyoko looked at Ren, who was smiling gently, holding his cell phone out. "Kotonami san must be worried about you, right?"

Kyoko nodded, slowly reaching out to take the second cell phone that had been offered to her today. "A-arigatou, Tsuruga san." Diligently watching as the phone turned on to make sure this one wasn't out of battery as well, Kyoko smiled in relief when she saw that it had a full bar.

Quickly dialing Moko's number, Kyoko smiled politely and excused herself before walking a few feet away towards the entrance of L.M.E.

Watching Kyoko's reactions as she talked with Moko, her smile lighting up her eyes towards the end of their conversation, Yashiro commented, "As expected of Tsuruga Ren, able to stop a girl from crying so easily."

Giving Ren a passing glance, Yashiro stilled, surprised by the expression Ren had on. He was reminded of the conversation he had overheard earlier. "Ren, watch your face."

Ren started a bit, smoothing his expression into a look of casual inquiry. "What? My face? Is there something wrong with it?"

Yashiro's eyes narrowed at Ren's words. 'You're such an actor.' "Watch your face, we don't want you frightening everyone who sees you once we go inside."

Ren's eyes slid towards Kyoko, who was still talking on the phone, her previous distress now completely wiped away. "Of course."

"Ren, did something happen between you and Kyoko chan before we left?" Yashiro asked, still slightly disturbed by the look on Ren's face earlier.

"... of course not." Ren replied lightly, though the slight pause gave him away.

Yashiro sighed quietly. "Make up with Kyoko chan soon, okay?" And with that, he turned and walked towards Kyoko, who had just ended her conversation with Moko, leaving a wide-eyed Ren behind.

A/N: Oh, just thought I'd put something funny here about a reference I used for the beginning of this chapter. I needed to know word for word what the operator says if your phone is broken, or disconnected (as you can't really call someone if their phone is broken, haha). But I couldn't find the official site that tell you what the message is. I ended up finding the message on a website that tells you that you can buy this sound bite that will drive your annoying callers away, with the exact words in the sound bite being the message i used in this chapter. That really just made my day, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who read this chapter and this fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it. ^^


	25. Chapter 25

Ren's Birthday

Ack, my updates keep getting slower... But, I just finished summer school, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace, haha. Thank you to momo-chan for kicking me into gear yesterday, it was really, REALLY helpful, haha. ^^ Well, this chapter shouldn't be too sad, I don't think it is, I found it funny, so I hope you will too. ^^

Oh, that reminds me, I was talking with strawrawbeby and a few others about this, but forgot to mention it last chapter. I'm thinking of changing the title of this fanfiction to "Ren's Emotions" as the modeling shoot covers more of the plot than his birthday does, but I won't do it if too many people object to it, so tell me what you think. ^^

As always, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this story in their story alerts and favorites list, you guys are awesome, haha.

Dedication: chainedhearted999 for guessing the chapters right from last chapter, and for pointing out one I hadn't mentioned, haha, and momo-chan, because this chapter wouldn't be up right now if not for her, haha. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters, I only own this fanfic, and my OCs. ^^

Chapter 25

Ren quickly recovered, Yashiro's words running through his mind over and over again, like a broken tape. Looking over at Kyoko, he was mildly surprised to see her watching him as well. Locking eyes for a moment before looking down, Kyoko hesitantly started walking towards Ren.

Ren ached with regret as he felt the nervous energy around her increasing as she drew closer, the stiffness in her movements being the outlet for that energy. 'I can't let this drag on any further.' Flicking his gaze over to Yashiro, who was observing them closely, Ren's eyes narrowed ever so slightly with resolve.

"Um, Tsuruga san?"

Ren quickly focused his eyes back on Kyoko, now right in front of him, looking like a frightened little rabbit, ready to bolt at any moment. "Yes?"

Kyoko bowed deeply. Taking in a deep breath, she said in a loud voice, "Arigatou, Tsuruga san, for letting me borrow your cell phone!"

Taken aback for a moment by the forcefulness of Kyoko's gratitude, he unconsciously smiled radiantly at her bowed head. "It's nothing, I'm glad I was able to be of help."

Kyoko froze, the ice slowly cracking as she looked up to see Ren's heavenly smile. Thoroughly confused now by Ren's recent behavior, Kyoko backed up a step, holding the cell phone in front of her like a shield. 'Too bright!' "H-here, thank you a-again for l-letting me use i-it."

Ren frowned lightly for a moment at Kyoko's reaction, but said nothing, silently taking the cell phone from her hand.

Kyoko let out a small sigh of relief as Ren's heavenly smile disappeared, although a bit discomfited by the small frown that briefly appeared on Ren's face afterwards.

Looking towards the trunk of Ren's car, Kyoko opened her mouth to ask to take out her bag of chocolates when Ren spoke first.

"Mogami san, I need to speak with you..."

Kyoko tuned out the rest of Ren's little monologue, backing up further and pasting on a fake smile as she panicked inside. "Uh, Tsuruga san?" 'I don't want to listen, he called me "Mogami san" in such a serious tone, I don't want to hear Tsuruga san say that he hates me!'

Using a gentlemanly smile to mask his disappointment at Kyoko's interruption, he answered quietly. "Yes?"

Kyoko's eyes widened considerably, the poisonous light radiating from Ren at the moment made her break out into a cold sweat. "Can you please open the trunk so I can get my chocolates out? I'm supposed to meet Moko san in an hour, and I need to pass out all of the chocolates before then." Kyoko asked in a thin voice, her smile becoming harder and harder to keep in place.

"Of course." Ren murmured, opening the trunk with a quiet click of a button.

Kyoko hurriedly walked over and grabbed her bag of chocolates. Bowing and saying thank you once more, Ren was barely given enough time to tell Kyoko that he wanted to speak to her later before Kyoko bolted, only tossing a good-bye to the two men over her shoulder as she entered the building, purposely ignoring Ren's request.

Watching the interaction between Ren and Kyoko, Yashiro's eyes narrowed slightly at Kyoko's obviously skittish behavior. Walking back towards Ren once Kyoko had made her exit, Yashiro shook his head at Ren. "If you keep this up, by the time this photo shoot ends, I wouldn't blame her if Kyoko decides to keep her distance from you, permanently."

Ren kept his eyes on the entrance of the L.M.E. building, pretending to ignore Yashiro, and staying silent until Yashiro gave up, following Kyoko's footsteps and entering the building, only at a much slower pace.

Turning around to lock the car doors, he caught sight of the small white box tied up with a black ribbon near his seat. Hesitating for a moment, he opened the door and gently took it out, locking the car up behind him.

Carefully opening the box, a tiny smile curved his lips at the white zigzag glaze on top of the small truffles. Momentarily closing his eyes, Ren bit into one of the delicate treats.

_It's lemon mint, so it's not as rich as other fillings. It shouldn't bother your stomach at all!"_

Ren's eyes snapped open, savoring the cold, tangy flavor.

_Kyoko started laughing. "Alright then." she chortled, as she signed the bottom right corner of the picture with a flourish. "There, you can have your cake," she smiled and gave Ren back the picture, picking up the plate Ren had set down a moment ago. "and eat it too." She offered the plate to him with a smile._

Ren finally started walking towards the building. 'That girl has been so understanding lately...'

_"Happy Birthday sweetheart."_

A light flush graced Ren's cheeks before it faded a moment later, an unreadable mask falling into place in its stead.

_TSURUGA SAN!!! Why? Why were you acting so cold to me?! Please! Tell me what I did wrong! Tsuruga san!"_

_Mogami san, from now on, I would appreciate it if we kept our distance from each other outside of work."_

Ren closed his eyes. 'And yet I did something so hurtful for my own selfishness...' Ren stopped right in front of the entrance, frozen solid. 'Wait, I haven't even apologized for bruising her wrist, and I went and said...' Letting out a huge sigh, the ice slowly melted away. 'I don't think she'll ever open her heart up to me again.' Walking into the building, Ren felt his mouth drop open at the scene laid out before him. 'Eh?!'

"Ah, Sawara san! Here, this is for you, thank you for all your hard work this year! Matsushima san...!" Kyoko moved across the room with frightening speed and efficiency, as she passed out her chocolates one by one.

'It looks as if she's in fast-forward.' Ren thought in amusement, unable to hold back his laughter, although he did try to laugh in as discrete a manner as he could manage.

Settling down, his eyes flashed in silent humor as his expression took a more serious turn. 'Regardless of whether she forgives me or not, I still need to apologize to her as soon as possible.'

Finally winding down, Kyoko checked the time. 'I still have 20 minutes before I see Moko san.' A flower popping out of her hair, Kyoko smiled happily. 'I'll just get there early so Moko san won't have to wait for me.'

* * *

_"Ah, Kyoko chan, this is for me?!" Moko's eyes widened in pleasure as Kyoko held out the small white box._

_Kyoko nodded vigorously. "Of course I'd make chocolate for my best friend!"_

_Moko ran up to Kyoko and hugged the girl tightly. "Thank you so much Kyoko chan, you're the best friend I could ever have!" Slowly releasing Kyoko, she pulled out a small, red, heart-shaped box from her purse. "This is for you, I made it myself. I hope you like it." Moko said shyly._

_Kyoko's eyes sparkled brightly in delight. "Of course! I'd like anything Moko san made for me!"_

_* * *  
_

Kyoko snapped out of her little trip through la-la land when someone accidentally bumped into her from behind.

"I'm sorry!" A harried businessman apologized, before going off towards the exit.

"It's... nothing." Kyoko called after him, spotting Ren by the entrance, holding the box of chocolates she had given him.

Their eyes meeting before she could look away, a pleasant mask fell over Ren's face as he started walking towards her, making every other woman in the lobby sigh in appreciation.

Dread overcoming her, Kyoko did her best to weave through the flood of women who had started moving towards Ren, with Ren rapidly closing in on her. Remembering the previous incident that something like this had occurred, the moment she was free of the crowd of infatuated females, Kyoko broke out into a run, uncaring of how undignified she looked.

Finally slowing down once she had caught sight of the Love Me Section locker room, she sighed, deflating as she remembered how Ren was carrying the box of chocolates she had given to him. 'That must be what Tsuruga san wanted to talk to me about...'

"Mogami san."

"Eek!" The hair on the back of her neck stood up in surprise as Kyoko whipped her head around to see Ren standing behind her. "T-Tsuruga san!" Backing up a bit, Kyoko noticed Ren's eyes narrow slightly at her avoidance tactics.

"I need to talk to you about-"

"Tsuruga san." Kyoko interrupted, not wanting to listen, but unable to escape. Taking a deep breath, Kyoko looked down at the ground, too nervous to look Ren in the eye as she started talking. "I know why you want to talk to me."

Ren's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

Kyoko nodded meekly, forcing her gaze up to Ren's shoulder. "I'm not sure what I did to make you so upset, but-but..." Tears slowly started falling from Kyoko's eyes, traveling down her face, and leaving little wet marks on the wooden floor.

Finally looking Ren in the eye, Kyoko continued tearfully. "Even if you're really angry at me, please don't say that you can't accept my chocolate anymore!"

Ren blinked, a blank expression wiping off any previous frustration that had shown on his face from having to chase Kyoko from the lobby all the way to her locker room. Gracefully, of course. 'Eh?'

"Even if Tsuruga san really does hate me now, I still want Tsuruga san to have the chocolate I made to show my appreciation of how much you've helped me out this past year!" Kyoko wailed, the small trickle of tears turning into a waterfall as she started crying in earnest.

Dumbfounded by Kyoko's twisted logic, Ren could only look on as he tried to process what she had just said. Regaining his senses a few seconds later, Ren reached out towards Kyoko, his hand stopping only a few inches away from her head. "Mogami san, th-"

"Kyoko chan!"

A/N: I will try to update sooner, I will try, haha. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, thank you.

Really though, don't you just love the way Kyoko's mind works sometimes? haha. ^^


	26. Chapter 26

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, I did my best to write this chapter within a week, and I'm glad I was able to do it, since this is one of my longer chapters (although my chapters are never as long as momo-chan's haha. ^^). I hope you all like it. ^^ I'm always really happy whenever someone says they like my writing, as that's one of the highest compliments I could receive, at least in my opinion anyways. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their story alerts and favorites list, I really appreciate it. ^^

Dedication: To Spherrow, for beta reading this chapter. I really felt like laughing when you compared my writing to Yoda. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic and Takumi/Sasaki. ^^ Those two are mine and mine alone, haha.

Chapter 26

Checking her watch, Moko let out a mental sigh of irritation as she walked towards the Love Me Section locker room. 'Damn it, I'm 15 minutes early. Well, knowing her, she'll probably already be there, considering how much she hates being late.' Moko turned slightly pale as she started walking a little faster than before. 'I-I'm not in a hurry because I'm worried... I just got here faster than I thought I would because I felt like power walking, that's all...'

Turning the corner, Moko caught sight of Kyoko and Ren standing in front of the locker room, seeming to be having a serious conversation. Nothing that neither had spotted her yet, and curious as to what they were talking about, Moko moved a little closer until she was within hearing range.

"Even if you're really angry at me, please don't say that you can't accept my chocolate anymore!"

Moko's eyes widened upon seeing Kyoko's tear-streaked face. 'What?!'

"Even if Tsuruga san really does hate me now, I still want Tsuruga san to have the chocolate that I made to show my appreciation of how much you've helped me out this past year!"

Seeing that Ren wasn't responding at all, even with Kyoko crying right in front of him made Moko burn with anger.

"Mogami san, th-"

"Kyoko chan!" Moko called, ruthlessly cutting Ren off right when he had finally managed to regain enough of his wits to respond. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, not bothering to greet the man behind her.

Using her right hand, Kyoko did her best to wipe away her tears. "M-Moko san!" Her sadness disappeared for a moment in her joy at seeing her best friend, but all her negative emotions came rushing back once more at the sight of Ren's gentlemanly smile - a mask to hide his irritation at Moko's interruption. Bursting into tears once again, Kyoko tried to grab hold of Moko as she cried "Moookooo saaan!"

Smoothly sidestepping Kyoko's attempt at hugging her, Moko's gaze settled on Kyoko's right arm. Her eyes narrowing, Moko lightly grabbed her arm, examining Kyoko's wrist more closely. "You said that you didn't get hurt!" Moko exclaimed angrily. "Then, what is this?!"

Kyoko averted her gaze and said in a soft voice "It was a work accident."

Ren felt a dull pain in his chest at Kyoko's words; guilt coursing through him at the memory of exactly how Kyoko had obtained that injury.

Pausing for a moment, Moko turned around to face Ren. Taking in his expression, Moko asked in a low voice. "Tsuruga san, how did Kyoko chan hurt her wrist?"

Glancing at Kyoko, he took a deep breath. The gentlemanly smile was now firmly in place again. He opened his mouth to respond when Kyoko grabbed Moko's arm, catching her off-guard. Kyoko smiled nervously. "Moko san, you're early, that means we get to talk more!" She exclaimed, doing her best to drown out Ren's response.

While dragging a protesting Moko into the Love Me Section locker room, Kyoko apologized to Ren, "I'm sorry Tsuruga san, but I really need to talk to Moko san alone right now." before quickly shutting the door behind her.

Moko finally broke free of Kyoko's death grip and stepped back, putting her hands on her hips. "Mo! Why wouldn't you let Tsuruga san tell me what happened to your wrist?!"

Kyoko held a finger to her mouth, silently asking Moko not to talk right now. Putting her ear up against the door, Kyoko waited until she heard a quiet sigh followed by Ren's footsteps fading away into the distance.

Finally alone, Kyoko faced Moko. "Please, don't talk about that in front of Tsuruga san!"

Moko frowned in confusion. "Why?"

Kyoko thought for a moment, then slowly tried to explain. "Because... it makes Tsuruga san really... sad whenever someone mentions it." Wiping away the last of her tears, Kyoko looked at Moko with clear eyes. "Tsuruga san turned so pale when it happened, I thought he was going to pass out." Kyoko shook her head furiously as if trying to rid herself of the image of Ren at that time. "I never want to see Tsuruga san look like that again, so, Moko san, please..." The desperation evident in Kyoko's eyes made Moko feel guilty she had ever mentioned it in the first place. "Please don't mention it in front of Tsuruga san again!"

Unable to say no under such overwhelming pressure, Moko tried to sit down on a bench, only to discover that she couldn't move. 'Oh god, it's been a while.'

Around ten grudge Kyokos were wrapped around Moko's entire body, whispering *Never speak of it again... I'll haunt you forever if you do... I'll curse you and your descendants if you do...*

Reaching her limit, Moko shouted, "Mo! Alright, I won't say anything about it to Tsuruga san anymore, okay?!"

Kyoko smiled happily, the grudge Kyokos retreating from Moko's body. "Thank you, Moko san!"

Finally free, Moko sat down on the bench behind her, calming down now that she knew that Kyoko really wasn't injured in the "car accident" she overheard. "So, how did you get that bruise then?" Moko asked, indicating Kyoko's bruised wrist.

"Oh... during the last photo shoot for today we had to model for the theme 'jealousy'. Tsuruga san was really in-character but he was still being as gentle as possible, so it's not Tsuruga san's fault I got this little bruise..."

"But it was Tsuruga san who gave you that bruise, right?" Moko prompted.

Kyoko thought for a moment, then shook her head lightly. "No, it was my own fault. For the last pose, I made it so that Tsuruga san's grip on my wrists was the only thing holding me up by acting like dead weight, which forced Tsuruga san to hold my wrists tighter, so that I wouldn't fall. If I hadn't done that, then my wrist would have been fine." As if just realizing something important, Kyoko suddenly stood straighter –impossible as it might seem. "Moko san."

"Yes?"

Kyoko held out her left arm for Moko to examine. "Look at my left wrist."

Focusing on Kyoko's uninjured wrist, Moko asked, "Why?"

Kyoko smiled calmly. "Does it look injured in any way?"

"No," Moko said firmly.

Kyoko nodded. "Exactly. Tsuruga san held both wrists equally tight during the photo shoot, but my left wrist is completely fine. My right is only bruised because it's still too sensitive from being wrapped up for so long," Kyoko concluded happily.

Moko scanned Kyoko from head to toe. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked one last time.

Kyoko's smile brightened. "Yes, I'm sure." The bag of chocolates she was still carrying swayed softly, catching Kyoko's attention. 'Oh, that's right!' Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out the last white box, and dropped the bag on the floor. Walking over to Moko, Kyoko held out the small box with both hands, "Moko san, for you."

"Oh..." Moko looked at the little box staring her in the face. "Thank you..." Opening the box, Moko was a bit uneasy. 'Ugh, so many calories!'

Looking up at Kyoko, whose face was filled with anticipation, Moko sighed. 'Oh well, I guess it can't be helped... Just this one time then.' Bracing herself, Moko bit into one of the small truffles. Her eyes widening, Moko put her hand up to her mouth. 'It's really good.' Then, not paying attention, she put the entire truffle in her mouth. A few seconds later, she closed the box to prevent herself from eating more right now. "Thank you, they're really good." 'Too good.' Moko thought unhappily.

"I'm glad you like them!" Kyoko beamed, clapping her hands together in delight.

"I wonder why Tsuruga san would reject your chocolates then..." Moko murmured absently.

"Because Tsuruga san doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore." Kyoko replied sadly, her eyes still slightly red from crying so much earlier.

Moko sat back a little. "Why do you say that?"

Kyoko sighed, an oppressive air of depression surrounding her. "Because Tsuruga san said, 'Mogami san, from now on, I would appreciate it if we kept our distance from each other outside of work.' Like that." Kyoko finished miserably, hanging her head like a wounded puppy.

Moko was speechless. 'Mo, what is that guy doing? He went through all that trouble to give her a dress for the party, and now he wants nothing to do with her?!'

Silent tears started dripping from Kyoko's eyes, falling one after another. "I don't want Tsuruga san to avoid me," Kyoko said quietly. "Even if Tsuruga san hates me, I don't want him to be mad at me!"

Moko stared at Kyoko in confusion. "So, you're okay with Tsuruga san hating you, but not with him being mad at you?"

Kyoko nodded, not taking her eyes off the ground. "H-he wouldn't even look at me when he said that he didn't want to see me outside of work," she whispered, crying harder.

Moko sighed in exasperation. 'She sounds like someone who just broke up with their boyfriend. Can't be helped... I guess I'll give it to her now.' Pulling something out of her purse, Moko held it out for Kyoko to see. "Kyoko chan, here."

Kyoko opened her eyes to see a small, round, black box held under her face. Taking it from Moko, she looked at it curiously. "T-this is?"

"Mo!" Moko turned slightly pink. "Of course it's chocolate! Don't expect it to taste good though, I've never made chocolate before this."

Kyoko shook her head slowly. "I'm sure it'll be delicious, thank you, Moko san," Kyoko said appreciatively.

Moko reddened further. "A-anyways," she muttered, trying to change the subject, "When did Tsuruga san say that to you?"

Kyoko tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

Moko's mouth flattened out into a thin line. "Where he said he didn't want to be around you anymore."

The smile faded from Kyoko's face. "Right before we left the photo shoot location..." she answered sadly.

Moko pulled Kyoko down to sit next to her, ready to start her interrogation. "How long has Tsuruga san been mad at you?"

Kyoko looked away from Moko. "That depends..." she said evasively.

Moko's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Eto... Tsuruga san's been mad at me several time since this morning, and I... uh, accidentally insulted him yesterday..." Kyoko answered sheepishly.

"Accidentally insulted? What did you do?" Moko asked curiously.

Deliberately not looking Moko in the eye, Kyoko fidgeted a little in her seat. "Uh, I, um,  
kind of implied that Tsuruga san was interested in men."

Moko's mouth dropped open in shock. "Why would you do that?!"

Kyoko waved her hands in front of her frantically. "I didn't mean to! It just... ended up that way..." Kyoko finished lamely.

"What happened though?" Moko asked, finding the subject rather interesting.

"Well," Kyoko began, "Director Takumi kissed me on the cheek when I was off-guard and-"

Moko stood up suddenly. "He did WHAT?!" Moko spun around to face Kyoko. "I thought I told you to be careful of him!"

Kyoko bowed several times in apology. "I'm sorry Moko san, it was so sudden, I didn't really have time to react." Kyoko blushed.

Moko sighed. "Then what?" she prompted grumpily.

"Well, Tsuruga san saw how I kept rubbing my cheek, since I felt a bit disturbed about what had happened, and asked me what Director Takumi had done to me."

Moko held up her hand to stop Kyoko. "Wait, how would Tsuruga san know it was Director Takumi's fault that you were rubbing your cheek?"

Kyoko blinked in surprise. "Because Tsuruga san was there too, but he didn't see what happened, as Director Takumi was standing in front of him while he was sitting down."

Moko sat back down, a bit stunned. "So, you're saying that Director Takumi kissed you in front of Tsuruga san?" 'My God, this guy's even worse than I imagined.'

Kyoko nodded and waited.

Noticing Kyoko's expectant expression, Moko shook her head in exasperation. "Okay."

Kyoko continued on. "Then, Tsuruga san figured out what Director Takumi had done, and kissed me in the same spot as-"

"Wait!" Moko closed her eyes for a moment. "Let me make sure I heard you correctly. You said Tsuruga san, THAT Tsuruga san, kissed you on the cheek too?"

Kyoko nodded slowly. "Yes, in the same spot as Director Takumi. I didn't understand why Tsuruga san would do that, so I assumed that it was an indirect kiss with Director Takumi."

Moko covered her mouth in shock, her eyes widening in horror. "You... didn't say that to Tsuruga san, did you?"

At Moko's reaction, Kyoko grew uncomfortable. "Y-yes, but Tsuruga san corrected me, saying that he did it because I seemed like I wanted to erase the memory of what had happened, so Tsuruga san thought he'd help me out." Kyoko sighed sadly. "Tsuruga san's really nice, isn't he?"

Moko stared at Kyoko incredulously. "He didn't get mad?" 'There's no way he would have kissed her for that reason. Considering the fact that he gave her that pink jewel, and that dress, I wouldn't be surprised if he kissed her out of jealousy.'

Kyoko thought for a moment. "No, he wasn't mad at all. Although, he did seem stunned for a while when he was explaining why it couldn't possibly be an indirect kiss with Director Takumi."

Moko did her best to hold back her laughter, although she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Hearing a knock on the door, Moko quickly got up. "I'll answer it." Not wanting anyone to see Kyoko's tear-streaked face, she cautiously opened the door.

A/N: Uwah, I haven't written a Moko/Kyoko chapter like this in so long, it felt really good, haha. ^^ I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to change the title to Ren's Emotions, I'm still thinking it over. Any input is welcome. ^^


	27. Chapter 27

Ren's Birthday

A/N: This chapter took me a little longer to write since I was working on chapter 28 at the same time, haha. ^^ So that chapter will be out in less than a week, which I think is good. ^^ Okay, I did have fun writing this chapter, but it was really hard to get the atmosphere correct, you'll see what I mean, haha, but I think i did an okay job of it. I hope you all like it, as I certainly did. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites lists, you guys are awesome! ^^

Dedication: to Spherrow for being so great about editing it, you're awesome. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, i only own this fanfic. ^^

Chapter 27

"Excuse me." Moko calmly closed the door. Making sure her back was to Kyoko, Moko burst out laughing, a silent laughter that shook her entire body. A minute later, after she had regained her composure, Moko opened the door once again. "May I help you?" She asked coolly.

Deciding to ignore the temperature drop around Moko, Ren graced her with a sparkly gentlemanly smile. "Kotonami san, I need to speak with Mogami san for a moment, could you please call her out for me?"

Moko turned her head to look at Kyoko, who, having picked up on the sound of Ren's voice, had turned white with fear, her eyes begging Moko not to throw her to the wolves.

Looking back at said wolf, Moko sighed. "Tsuruga san, before that," she murmured, stepping outside and softly closing the door behind her, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

Startled, Ren nodded his head in agreement. "Of course."

Moko stayed silent for a minute, with Ren growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Thinking harder, Moko closed her eyes for a moment. Turning to face Ren, Moko opened her eyes. "Tsuruga san?"

Glad that the awkward silence was over, Ren responded, "Yes?"

"The only reason Kyoko chan accepted your dress as a gift instead of immediately calling you to say that she'd pay you back was because she followed my advice." Moko said casually, watching Ren closely to gauge his reaction.

A bit taken aback by the topic, Ren nonetheless maintained his composure. "And for that, I thank you." He replied smoothly.

Moko's eyes narrowed slightly. "Tsuruga san, may I ask you a question regarding you and Kyoko chan?"

Thinking for a moment, Ren slowly nodded his assent. "Alright."

"Did you really mean it when you told Kyoko chan that you wanted to keep your distance from her outside of work?"

Ren's eyes widened. Unwilling to answer, he remained silent.

Growing impatient, Moko's eyes narrowed further. "Tsuruga san?"

Recovering, Ren forced a super sparkly smile on Moko. "I said you could ask, but I never said that I would answer.

Moko's eyes shot open in anger. "Then, I guess I was wrong in thinking you needed help patching things up with Kyoko chan, as you obviously don't care that you hurt her in the first place." Moko hissed coldly, careful in keeping her voice down so as not to frighten the little kitten still inside the locker room. Turning her back on Ren, she murmured "I think I've said enough" and started to open the door.

Ren stopped Moko from leaving, the look in his eyes as he thought of the girl inside the room was completely different than before. "Wait."

"If you don't want to talk, then I have nothing to say." Moko stated calmly.

Ren sighed. Backing away, his mouth flattened out into a thin line. "Will you really help me?" He asked quietly.

Moko shook her head. "No, I'll be helping Kyoko chan."

Ren broke out into a small smile. "Fair enough."

Moko finally turned back around to face Ren. "Well?"

The smile dropped from Ren's face. "I did mean it... at the time."

"So you don't anymore?" Moko prompted.

Ren sighed harshly. "No." He murmured flatly.

Moko frowned lightly. "So you weren't trying to return Kyoko's chocolates earlier."

"No."

"Then, what were you doing?" Moko asked softly.

Feeling as if Moko was examining him closely, her questions dull blades aimed at his vital points, Ren shifted uncomfortably. "I was trying to apologize."

Moko paused for a moment, mulling over all that Ren had told her so far. "Tsuruga san?"

"Yes?" Ren replied grudgingly, hating this interrogation more and more as time passed.

"Are you willing to listen to my advice?" Moko asked, a serious look in her eyes as she stared straight at Ren.

Relieved that the intrusive questioning was over, Ren nodded. "Yes."

"Don't try to talk to Kyoko chan again today." Moko said abruptly.

His gentlemanly smile resurfacing, Ren tilted his head to the side. "Please, Kotonami san, explain how I'm supposed to apologize to Mogami san if I try NOT to talk to her."

Moko's eyes narrowed. "I said for today, not forever. Kyoko chan won't listen to you if you try to talk to her now -if you even get a chance to. She'll calm down a bit by tomorrow, so talk to her then." She snapped, feeling irritated by Ren's words.

Ren thought for a moment. "Will that really work?" He asked slowly.

Moko sent Ren a sharp glare. "It will if you don't aggravate her any further.

The aura emanating from his gentlemanly smile increasing in strength, Ren took a step forward towards Moko. "Well then, thank you for your advice, Kotonami san. Please tell Mogami san that we will be leaving at 7:00PM, Yashiro san and I will be waiting for her at the entrance." Ren finished.

"Okay, I'll tell her." Moko replied calmly. Looking Ren in the eye, her gaze sharpened to the point that it felt like a sword stabbing into him. "One last thing, Tsuruga san, I don't know what Kyoko chan did to deserve such cruel treatment from you, but if you ever hurt her like this again, I will never forgive you." And with that, Moko went back inside the locker room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Alone, Ren smiled bitterly at the irony of Moko's last words. 'She didn't do anything.'

* * *

"Kyoko chan?" Moko waved her hand in front of Kyoko's face, trying to get a response from the still life Kyoko had become. Frowning in irritation, Moko put her hands on her hips. "Mo! If you don't snap out of it right now, I'm leaving!"

"Nooo! Moko san!!!" Kyoko wailed, finally becoming animated once more.

Moko sighed in exasperation. "Are you going to pay attention now?"

Kyoko nodded vigorously. "Hai!" Looking down at the ground, Kyoko grew still. "Moko san?"

Sitting back down on the bench, Moko turned to face Kyoko. "Yes?"

Sneaking a glance at Moko, Kyoko asked, "W-what did you and T-Tsuruga san t-talk about outside?"

Moko raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well..." she started casually, "Tsuruga san said that they will be leaving L.M.E. at 7:00PM, so he and Yashiro san will be waiting for you at the entrance."

Kyoko slumped forward in relief. "Okay," she whispered.

"Also..." Moko smirked, "Tsuruga san said that he didn't mean what he said to you earlier."

"Eh?!" Kyoko perked up, her back straight as a board. "You mean...!"

Moko nodded. "I don't know why Tsuruga san said it, but he didn't mean it."

Kyoko frowned. "Are you sure?"

Moko's mouth thinned in frustration. "Yes! Tsuruga san just told me himself only a few minutes ago!"

"Are you sure you didn't hear what Tsuruga san said wrong?" Kyoko asked suspiciously.

"Kyoko chan...!" Moko said angrily, her eyes narrowing down to mere slits. "Tsuruga san said he didn't mean it. " 'She'll go into flat out denial if I tell her that Tsuruga san wants to apologize to her.' "You don't believe me?"

Kyoko shrunk back, afraid of Moko's wrath. "I-I believe you, but..." 'It just doesn't seem possible that Tsuruga san didn't mean it then.'

Moko closed her eyes. 'Maybe I should explain it more clearly.'

Kyoko looked at Moko curiously. "Moko san?"

Moko frowned, opening her eyes. "Tsuruga san did say that he meant it at the time that he said it." Moko said slowly.

Kyoko's eyes widened. 'See? There's no way that Tsuruga san didn't mean it!' Kyoko sadly lowered her gaze back down to the ground. 'After all, Tsuruga san hates me... he wouldn't even look at me back then.'

"But, Tsuruga san also said that he doesn't mean it now." Moko finished triumphantly.

Kyoko nodded her head thoughtfully. 'That makes more sense... wait.' "That means... if I can figure out what I did wrong and apologize to Tsuruga san, Tsuruga san won't be mad at me anymore!" Kyoko exclaimed happily.

Moko held out her hand to stop Kyoko from bouncing off the walls in excitement. "Actually, I don't think Tsuruga san is mad at you anymore." 'Considering the fact that Tsuruga san's the one who's been trying to apologize to you...'

Kyoko shook her head furiously. "That's not possible! Tsuruga san was so upset at that time... and I've been running away from him every time Tsuruga san's tried to talk to me since then."

Moko froze. "Wait, you mean... you actually ran away from Tsuruga san?!"

"Yes." Kyoko mimicked Moko, both girls now frozen. "So... Tsuruga san must be even angrier now!" Breaking out of the ice, Kyoko shook off any flakes of ice still attached to her. "Moko san, what should I do?!" Kyoko cried.

Moko sighed, "Well, it should be fine as long as you apologize to Tsuruga san about it."

Kyoko settled down. 'That's right, Tsuruga san isn't one to hold grudges after someone apologizes...' Smiling widely, Kyoko said softly, "Thank you, Moko san."

Turning her back on Kyoko, a light sprinkling of red dusted her cheeks. "It's nothing."

Kyoko clapped her hands together, her eyes shining with determination. "It's not nothing! Because of what you told me, I know that I have a chance to have Tsuruga san forgive me, even after I angered him to that extent! Now I just need to figure out what I did to make Tsuruga san so angry..."

Moko broke out into a tiny smile as an idea came to her. "Well, you need to find out quickly, otherwise, do you really think it'll be okay to wear the dress Tsuruga san gave you for the party on Saturday?"

A/N: That was the first time I've ever really written such a long conversation between Moko and Ren, it was... interesting, haha. See? I told you the arc where the girls went shopping was important, haha. I hope you liked it! I'm planning on having chapter 28 be out on the 25, that should be something to look forward to, an actual fixed date of when I'm going to post, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I can't express how happy it makes me to know people actually like my writing, haha.


	28. Chapter 28

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Oh, something funny happened today. I told my cousin last week about my fanfic, and she said she'd check it out. I saw her again today, and she starts out jokingly,saying, "It's all your fault." Apparently, since she didn't know anything about skip beat, she decided to research it a bit before reading my fanfic, and she ended up watching the entire anime, and reading up to the latest chapter in one week. I got my cousin hooked on skip beat on accident, I find that awesome, haha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fanfic, and put this story in their favorites and story alerts, i really appreciate it. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic, and my OCs. ^^

Chapter 28

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror. 'That's right, I completely forgot about that!' "It would probably make Tsuruga san even angrier if I wear the dress he gave me to the party, wouldn't it?" Kyoko whispered sadly.

Turning around to face Kyoko, Moko took on a calm demeanor. "I don't think Tsuruga san would necessarily be angry if you wear it, but I don't think it would be a wise decision to make at this point. Well, as long as you and Tsuruga san make up before Saturday, it should be fine. You still have one more day left of the modeling job, right?"

Kyoko nodded slowly.

"Then, most likely, you have until the end of the modeling job to make up with Tsuruga san - because if it drags on any longer than that, you won't be able to apologize in person." Moko concluded.

Kyoko gave Moko a small smile of relief. "So, I have until tomorrow to figure out what I did wrong?"

Moko shook her head. "If you try to figure it out tomorrow, won't it interfere with your job?"

The smile melted off Kyoko's face. "I'm sorry Moko san, I should never have considered that!" she cried, bowing several times.

Moko sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to apologize, so stop bowing! Anyways, it'd be best if you figure out what went wrong tonight, and then apologize in between photo shoots tomorrow."

"Okay." Kyoko said quietly, happy that Moko wasn't mad.

Moko thought for a moment. "You said that Tsuruga san told you he didn't want to see you outside of work right before you left the photo shoot location, right?"

Kyoko tilted her head to the side, blinking innocently. "Hai..."

"Then, when did you notice that Tsuruga san was angry with you?"

"I don't know, Tsuruga san was angry with me on and off the entire time we were at the photo shoot location." Kyoko explained, starting to feel a little down.

Moko waved aside her explanation impatiently. "But that means there were periods of time where Tsuruga san wasn't angry at you, right? When was the last time Tsuruga san got mad at you?"

Kyoko opened her mouth to respond, but closed it soon after. Pondering the question for a minute, Kyoko deflated. "I'm not sure..."

Randomly glancing at the clock, Moko stilled. "Kyoko chan?"

Unsettled by Moko strange tone of voice, Kyoko answered slowly. "Yes?"

"Didn't Tsuruga san say that you guys were leaving at 7:00PM?"

Kyoko whipped her head around to look at the clock.

"Kyoko chan, you should probably run..." Moko said quietly. "It's already 7:15PM." Turning around, she found that Kyoko had already left, the door swung violently open behind her.

Kyoko ran at full speed towards the entrance until she caught sight of Yashiro standing next to Ren. Skidding to a halt, she stopped a few inches shy of toppling the two men over. "I'm so sorry, Yashiro san, Tsuruga san, I'm so very sorry!" Kyoko cried, hurling herself into a dogeza.

Ren grabbed Kyoko's arm before she was able to touch the ground, saying softly, "No dogeza, Mogami san, it's alright."

Kyoko slowly got up with Ren's help. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Yashiro smiled. "It's okay Kyoko chan, let's go."

Letting go of Kyoko's arm, Ren silently led the way to his car, making sure to keep his back to Kyoko the entire time.

The drive back was done in complete silence, save for Yashiro's small attempts here and there to try and get a conversation going, ultimately falling silent himself.

The heavy atmosphere in the car was one that none of the three could stand comfortably. As Yashiro's place was closer, Ren dropped Yashiro off first. Glad to be able to escape from the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Kyoko and Ren, Yashiro bid a hasty farewell, leaving the two of them alone.

Kyoko fidgeted in her seat, still not sure if she should speak up or not. 'Tsuruga san looks so serious right now... of course he'd still be angry because of before...' Squeezing her eyes shut, Kyoko inhaled sharply and decided to take a chance. "Ano, Tsuruga san..."

Ren forced himself to stay relaxed, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yes?" he murmured softly.

Kyoko bowed in her seat. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san, for avoiding you when you were trying to talk to me earlier."

Ren's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Oh? You were avoiding me?" He asked casually.

Kyoko's eyes flew open in surprise. 'D-did I just make things worse?!'

Ren sighed, sending a small smile Kyoko's way. "Well, since you were apologizing for it anyway, it doesn't matter anymore."

Kyoko slumped over in her seat, relief washing over her. 'Tsuruga san just likes to torment me for his own amusement, doesn't he? He really does hate me...' Glancing over at Ren, who was once again focused on the road, Kyoko pursed her lips into a tiny frown. 'What if Moko san misunderstood what Tsuruga san meant?' Imagining Ren's gentlemanly smile, Kyoko shuddered. 'That has to be it!'

_"Kyoko chan...! You don't believe me?"_

Kyoko hesitated. 'If I don't ask Tsuruga san, I'll make Moko san mad at me again...' Looking down at her feet, Kyoko fidgeted nervously in her seat. 'I-it won't hurt to ask... right?' "T-Tsuruga san? M-may I a-ask you something?" Kyoko said haltingly.

Surprised by the tremor in Kyoko's voice, Ren glanced over at Kyoko, who had her head down, her hands tightly clenched together in her lap. "Of course, what is it?"

Kyoko bit her lip, doing her best to stop the tremors that had come over her out of fear. "Ano, Moko san said that Tsuruga san doesn't mean it anymore... what you said at the photo shoot location before we left... i-is that true?"

Ren's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing, as his expression grew gentle. "Yeah, it's true."

Kyoko raised her head suddenly. "Really?!" She asked earnestly.

Ren's smile grew wider. "Really."

Kyoko jumped out of the car, as they had arrived at Darumaya. Running around to Ren's side of the car, she waited until he rolled down the window before speaking. "If that's the case, then I'll definitely apologize to Tsuruga san tomorrow once I figure out what I did to make you so upset!" Kyoko exclaimed eagerly. Running towards Darumaya, Kyoko turned around to wave at Ren. "Arigatou, Tsuruga san!"

"Kyoko chan, is that you?"

Kyoko turned around and smile. "Ah, Okami san, tadaima."

"Okaeri." Okami san motioned for Kyoko to come closer. "Hurry up and come inside."

Kyoko nodded. "I'll go get changed right away!" Walking inside, she ran to her room as soon as she was out of sight of the customers. 'Darumaya is usually closed on the second Wednesday of the month, but since today is Valentines Day, they made an exception. In exchange for using the kitchen to make all of the chocolates I passed out today, I promised to help out tonight as soon as I came back from work.'

Done changing, Kyoko looked at the crowd of people downstairs as she power walked over to the kitchen. 'It really is a full house today.'

For the next three and a half hours, Kyoko flitted to and fro from the kitchen to the dining room, a polite smile on her face as she greeted the customers. 'Showbiz really is similar to the service industry.'

"Ah, Kyoko chan, otsukare!" Okami san called, a warm smile directed at Kyoko as she brought the last few plates from the dining room over to the kitchen to be washed.

Kyoko bowed formally. "Otsukaresama deshita. Okami san, I'll go wash those for you." Kyoko replied, moving to take the plates.

"No, I'll do this, you go to sleep now. You still have one more day left of the modeling job, don't you? You need to go to sleep early today." Okami san admonished. "Go to bed."

Kyoko bowed formally again. "Hai, Okami san, oyasumi."

Putting the plates in the sink, Okami san bowed to Kyoko in return. "Oyasumi, Kyoko chan."

Okami san watched as Kyoko bid goodnight to Taisho and slowly walked up the stairs to her room, her shoulders a tad bit lower than usual. 'That girl is such a hard worker. She looks exhausted, but still offered to help. I hope the modeling job isn't being too hard on her...'

Kyoko opened the door to her room. Closing it behind her, she leaned her weight against the wall for a moment before using the last of her strength to push off the wall, drag her futon out of the closet and onto the floor. Finished, Kyoko fell onto the futon, exhausted both mentally and physically.

_"Then, most likely, you have until the end of the modeling job to make up with Tsuruga san - because if it drags on any longer than that, you won't be able to apologize in person... it'd be best if you figure out what went wrong tonight, and then apologize in between photo shoots tomorrow."_

'That's right...' Kyoko pulled herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes sleepily. 'I can't fall asleep now, I have to figure out what I did to make Tsuruga san so angry...'

Falling back onto the futon, Kyoko ended up falling asleep, not even having the energy to finish her train of thought.

* * *

_"Then, when did you notice that Tsuruga san was angry with you?"_

_"I don't know, Tsuruga san was angry with me on and off the whole time we were at the photo shoot location."_

_"But that means there were periods of time where Tsuruga san wasn't angry with you, right? When was the last time Tsuruga san got mad at you?"_

'Tsuruga san didn't seem mad at that time, it was more like he was very upset about something...' Kyoko frowned in her sleep and turned over on her side. 'He wouldn't even look at me... wait, when did Tsuruga san start to avoid looking at me?!' Kyoko's eyes moved back and forth beneath her eyelids, as if searching for something. 'Ah! It was right after we had finished stage 5!'

Kyoko slowly opened her eyes and sat up. Looking at the clock, she pushed the blanket away and stretched her arms out. 'It's already 7:30? I need to go get ready...' Kyoko's eyes widened as she caught sight of the bruise on her right wrist. 'Of course!' "Tsuruga san must have been upset because he was disappointed in how carelessly I handled my wrist, even though I knew it had just healed."

_"I promise I'll be more careful from now on... so it won't happen again!"_

Kyoko bowed her head in shame, cradling her injured wrist in her lap. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san..." Kyoko whispered sadly. 'I promised Tsuruga san that I would be more careful from now on, and I've already injured myself again.' Her wrist grew damp with the tears slowly falling from Kyoko's closed eyes. 'I don't deserve to be forgiven by Tsuruga san...'

A/N: *Lets out tears of happiness* I'm finally onto the last day of the photo shoot! That took so long, haha, I was really starting to miss Takumi, well, he'll be back very very soon. ^^ Don't worry, I'll make sure to have Takumi keep his promise from before, mwahahaha. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, you guys are awesome! ^^


	29. Chapter 29

Ren's Birthday

A/N: This is going to be a long author's note, but please bear with me. ^^

Okay, first off, I have to thank leavesfallingup. His fanfic Always With You provided me with the inspiration needed to be able to finish this chapter, especially the dialogue between Ren and Kyoko. So thank you so much for helping me out haha. ^^

Second, I have some people wanting me to stick to "Ren's Birthday" and some who want me to switch to "Ren's Emotions" as the the title. The main reason however, for those who want me to stay with my original title is because it's more interesting than "Ren's emotions", or something along those lines. So I was really confused as to what to do, since I couldn't figure out a new title that more people might like, so I have to thank leavesfallingup again, because after reading his fanfic, I was able to think of a new title that might sound more interesting, haha, "Whirlwind of Emotion", this way it not only is talking about Ren, but can imply that it's about Kyoko's emotions as well, and alludes to the modeling job for the photo album Human Emotion. I put a poll up on my profile page about the title for this fanfic, so if you're interested, please vote, as I really want to know what you guys think, but I kept getting too confused with the random mixed responses in the reviews, even though I kind of asked for that, haha. Thank you for your cooperation. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their favorites list, i appreciate every one of you. ^^

Dedication: of course, leavesfallingup, your awesome

Disclaimer: I do not own skip beat or any of it's characters. However, Takumi is mine! ^^ I'll let Sasaki slip a little, haha, Takumi is definitely my favorite. ^^

Chapter 29

Still feeling unsettled over what to do about Kyoko, Ren mulled over what happened last night as he went to go pick up Yashiro.

_"Ano, Moko san said that Tsuruga san doesn't mean it anymore, what you said at the photo shoot location before we left... i-is that true?"_

Ren sighed softly, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. 'I understand why Kotonami san said not to speak with him yesterday once I saw Kyoko's face when she asked me that, but still...!'

_"If that's the case, then I'll definitely apologize to Tsuruga san once I figure out what I did to make you so upset!" Kyoko exclaimed eagerly. Running towards Darumaya, Kyoko turned around to wave at Ren. "Arigatou, Tsuruga san!"_

_Ren felt an enormous amount of guilt and shame settle over his heart, almost making it hard for him to breathe. 'Why are you thanking me? Why must you apologize to me?! Everything done was my fault, not yours!'_

_Ren leaned his head against the steering wheel, feeling his exhaustion settling down into his very bones. Laughing lightly, a pained expression appeared on Ren's face. 'Kotonami san, you didn't tell Kyoko everything, did you?' His knuckles grew white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. 'That girl must be a very good actress, acting so calm even though it felt like she was trying to kill me with her eyes alone...'_

_Glancing over at Kyoko, who was just entering Darumaya, a small smile appeared on Ren's face. 'At least she doesn't seem scared of me anymore...'  
_

"Ren, ohayo!" Yashiro walked over to Ren's car at a brisk pace. Knocking on the window, Yashiro waited for Ren to unlock the car doors. "Ren?"

"Ah, Yashiro san, ohayo." Ren smiled, unlocking the door so Yashiro could get in.

Quickly scanning Ren's expression, Yashiro pouted. "Ren, have you made up with Kyoko chan yet?"

Remaining silent, Ren slowly turned to face Yashiro with a dazzling gentlemanly smile, the poisonous aura growing stronger with each passing moment.

Yashiro paled, a chill coming over him as he contemplated what Ren was thinking behind that superficial smile of his. 'I'll take that as a no then.' Regaining his composure, Yashiro threw a dry smile at Ren. "If you smile that way at Kyoko chan, I don't think you'd be able to make up with her today, she probably just run away from you." Yashiro said jokingly, only to freeze, fear making him break out into a cold sweat at the sight before him.

The smile had dropped from Ren's face, revealing the demon lord that was so feared by Yashiro and Kyoko both.

Yashiro put his hands up in surrender. "I was just kidding!" Yashiro looked out the window to avoid Ren's piercing gaze, mentally blanching at the intensity of Ren's 'true nature'. "We should get going, we still need to pick up Kyoko chan as well."

Taking a few moments to compose himself, then a few more, Ren sighed quietly, a composed mask haphazardly falling into place. "Right."

The mini crisis over, Ren and Yashiro, well, mainly Yashiro, chatted aimlessly until they arrived at Darumaya, the pensive atmosphere that arose whenever the pair fell silent was enough to make the poor manager say whatever he could think of to keep the conversation alive.

Kyoko was already waiting outside once Ren's car pulled up to the entrance of Darumaya. Ren opened the door and got out of the car, opening the backseat door for Kyoko. "Ohayo, Mogami san." Ren murmured softly.

Kyoko nodded, bowing formally. "Ohayo... Tsuruga san." After thanking Ren for opening the door for her, Kyoko quickly sat down in her seat. "Ohayo, Yashiro san."

Yashiro smiled at the younger girl. "Ohayo, Kyoko chan." momentarily glancing over at Ren, who had gotten back into the car, he continued on, "It's finally the last day of the modeling job."

Both Kyoko and Ren tensed up, the tension in the air rising considerably. Forcing a smile to her face, Kyoko continued the conversation as Ren drove back onto the street. "Yes, it is. It has been a very interesting job, I'm very happy that I had the opportunity to take on a job like this." Kyoko finished quietly.

Once at a red light, Ren turned around to face Kyoko. "I'm also very pleased that you took this job, you've done a great job so far. Even though you've never modeled before, you've finished every task handed to you admirably. I'm very proud to have such a talented kouhai." Ren said gently.

Kyoko bowed in her seat, her face contorting into a pained expression filled with guilt and shame the moment her hair fell forward and shielded her face from view. "I don't deserve such praise from one such as you, Tsuruga san. I can only hope to emulate Tsuruga san in your professionalism as you go about our work." Kyoko murmured, her deep respect for Ren evident in her voice.

Ren felt as if Kyoko had hit him in the chest full force, a web of tiny cracks forming throughout the mask he had donned to protect himself as he struggled under the weight of his emotions while they crashed through him at full throttle. Somehow managing to maintain his composure, even with his mask about to fall to pieces in the dust, Ren turned back to face the road. "Mogami san, it is customary to accept the praise given to you gracefully with a smile." He said lightly, forcibly returning his breathing to normal.

Kyoko took in a deep breath, sitting up straight and pasting on the most well polished smile she had as she caught Ren's eye in the rearview mirror. "Thank you, Tsuruga san."

Ren smiled a small smile in return. "That's better."

Yashiro looked back and forth between Ren and Kyoko, extremely confused. 'They seem to be getting along just fine now, so why was Ren in such a terrible mood earlier as to show his true nature so easily?' Leaning over towards Ren, Yashiro whispered softly enough so that only he and Ren could hear. "I though you and Kyoko chan haven't made up yet."

Ren directed an unreadable look Yashiro's way, choosing to let Yashiro suffer with his curiosity by remaining silent.

Yashiro sat back in his seat in disappointment, knowing that he couldn't press the subject any further since Kyoko was in the car as well. Both Ren and Kyoko seemed to be on good terms with each other already, but he didn't want to chance walking into a minefield and accidentally blowing things way out of proportion.

Grasping at any thought in his head that he could use to start a conversation, Yashiro turned to Kyoko. "Kyoko chan, the chocolate you make is really delicious; I finished the whole box yesterday before I knew it."

Kyoko smiled with pleasure. "Thank you, Yashiro san, I'll be sure to make more next year."

Yashiro pouted jokingly. "Having to wait until next year for more of your delicious chocolates is a really long wait." Yashiro laughed. Looking over at Ren, Yashiro brightened, "Oh! Kyoko chan, you made a different kind of chocolate for Ren, right? Ren, do you think I could try one?"

Kyoko stiffened, her eyes downcast as she remembered how Ren had chased her all the way to the Love Me section locker room just to try and return the chocolates she had given him.

"I'm sorry Yashiro san." Ren's voice broke into her little reverie, making Kyoko snap to attention.

Ren smiled as he looked over at Yashiro. "I can't, I finished mine last night."

Yashiro raised an eyebrow at Ren's words. "Oh? It's rare for you to eat that much chocolate in one day. Were they that good?" Yashiro asked slyly, suspecting the real reason why Ren had been able to eat so many sweets when he had a small stomach and a low tolerance for sugary foods to begin with.

Ren made sure to keep a straight face, not wanting to give Yashiro any new material to tease him with. "Yes, they were."

Kyoko blushed profusely, looking at Ren with a mixture of wonder and confusion. Thinking for a moment, she sorted her thoughts quickly, in the end smiling widely. 'So Tsuruga san really isn't angry at me anymore, otherwise he wouldn't have finished the chocolates I had given him when he had tried to return them before.'

Thinking a little more, the smile slowly dropped off Kyoko's face, the blush fading rapidly along with it. 'He's not angry at me because I promised to apologize to him today; I don't deserve Tsuruga san's kindness when I haven't even made amends yet...'

"Kyoko chan, we've arrived at the photo shoot location." Yashiro called, looking at the girl who was lost in her thoughts. "Kyoko chan?"

"Hai!" Kyoko scrambled out of the car, embarrassed that Yashiro had caught her at her most inattentive.

Together, the three walked towards the main set, both Ren and Kyoko unconsciously keeping Yashiro between them, each unwilling to stay too close to the other.

Takumi smiled when he saw this rather obvious display before him. 'Well, my favorite couple isn't as lovey-dovey as they were yesterday, now are they?' Stifling a small fit of laughter, Takumi caught sight of the prominent bruise on Kyoko's right wrist. Immediately, his eyes narrowed in disapproval as he motioned for the trio to come closer. "Kyoko, come here." His tone brooked no argument.

A bit surprised, Kyoko gracefully walked to the displeased director. "Yes, Director Takumi."

"Show me your right wrist." Takumi said gruffly, the look in his eyes dead serious. Kyoko's eyes widened at Takumi's command.

Seeing Kyoko's hesitation, Takumi's eyes narrowed. "Mogami san, show me your right wrist NOW!"

Ren's mouth almost dropped open in shock at hearing the flirtatious director call Kyoko 'Mogami san'.

This time there was no hesitation as Kyoko held out her right wrist for Takumi, wincing lightly as Takumi touched the bruise.

A sharp pain shot through Ren at the sight of Kyoko's wince of pain.

Takumi turned Kyoko's wrist over, looking at the shape of the bruise carefully. 'I didn't think it would be this bad...'

"I-I'm sorry, Director Takumi," Kyoko stammered, "I know it was extremely unprofessional of me to get hurt now of all t-times-"

"Shut up." Takumi ordered harshly, continuing his inspection of Kyoko's bruise.

Not a single word was spoken after that, as everyone wisely decided to listen to Director Takumi's orders.

A few minutes later, Takumi sighed, finished with his inspection. Looking directly into Kyoko's eyes, Takumi asked, "Kyoko, who did this to you?"

Kyoko shook her head. "It was my own fault."

Ren's eyes widened in shock, speechless over the conclusion Kyoko had come to over the bruise he had inflicted upon her.

Takumi raised an eyebrow skeptically, his eyes turning cold. "Mogami san, your hand's not big enough for it to be your fault."

Kyoko stared at Takumi in confusion.

Takumi continued on impatiently. "That bruise is in the shape of a handprint. Now tell me, who did this?"

Ren's breathing grew shallower, feeling as if his heart was being ripped to shreds by his own guilt at Takumi's description of Kyoko's bruise.

Kyoko looked down at the ground. "But it really is my own fault that I have this bruise." Kyoko said quietly.

Takumi's eyes narrowed down to mere slits, the small portion of his flinty gaze that was still visible sent chills down Kyoko's spine. "Mogami san, please spare me your excuses and tell me who did this." Takumi said coldly.

Unable to stay silent any longer, Ren walked over and stood next to Kyoko, looking Takumi straight in the eye. "I did."

A/N: I just think Takumi's awesome. ^^ I kind of modeled his reaction after Director Kurosaki's policy of firing someone if they get injured during the photo shoot time period, even if it's on set. Takumi's not as strict, but he's still pretty pissed that one of his models has a highly visible mark on her body. ^^

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic in general, I cannot thank you guys enough. ^^


	30. Chapter 30

Ren's Birthday

Just started University this week, so I'm going to be really busy, and probably won't update that often, although I will try to. If I can't then the next chapter might in December... but I don't want to make you guys wait that long, so yeah...

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this fanfic on their story alerts and favorites list, you guys are awesome. ^^

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to leavesfallingup, for giving me the motivation to actually finish writing this chapter (although the typing took a while too, haha) and for writing "When the cats are away" at my request, it was the best ShokoxYashiro story I've ever read or even imagined reading; it was an amazing story, so go read it, haha. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I only own Sasaki and Takumi, but especially Takumi, haha. ^^

Chapter 30

Kyoko stared at Ren in shock, her eyes widening in surprise. 'Tsuruga san, why?!' Kyoko wanted to say those words so badly, but, alas, her voice had chosen that moment to stop working.

Ren continued on, unwilling to see Kyoko scolded over his mistake. "It was entirely the result of my carelessness yesterday."

Takumi closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the little scene he had caught on film the day before. "It happened during the final photo shoot yesterday, right?"

Ren looked at Takumi in surprise. "Yes."

Opening his eyes, Takumi gave Ren a small smile, his eyes still as cold as ice. "It's good that you admitted to your mistake. However, if something like this ever happens again in the future, I'll fire you on the spot. Are we clear?"

Ren bowed respectfully. "I understand."

"If Ren hadn't admitted to causing the bruise on Kyoko's wrist, what would you have done?" Yashiro asked curiously, relieved that Ren was forgiven for his mistake.

Takumi gave Ren a toothy grin, reminding Kyoko of a shark about to tear apart its next meal. "I would have fired Tsuruga san immediately and rewrote the last three stages based on a little scene I photographed yesterday after the fifth stage was over. We would have finished the photo shoots tomorrow with Sasaki as Tsuruga san's replacement. Of course, it's already been cleared with Sasaki's manager." Takumi explained, his icy tone freezing Kyoko's blood with deadly efficiency.

Almost like an afterthought, Takumi turned his cold eyes onto Kyoko. "Oh, and Mogami san?"

Finally getting her voice to work, if only a little, Kyoko responded hesitantly, "Yes, Director T-Takumi?"

His smile disappearing upon hearing the tremor in Kyoko's voice, Takumi stated harshly, "Never argue with a director over something like this again. It's extremely unprofessional to lie to your superiors."

'But it really was my fault, not Tsuruga san's!' "I understand." Kyoko whispered quietly, her hands shaking violently as she hid both hands behind her back.

"Good. Go get changed. Kyoko, make sure to tell the make-up artist not to cover the bruise in any way." Takumi ordered, turning his back on the trio.

Kyoko slowly made her way over to her dressing room, shaken by what had just happened. Closing the door behind her, Kyoko reached out blindly, searching for a chair to sit in. Finally finding one, she collapsed into the seat, feeling extremely depressed but willing herself not to cry. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga saaan..." Kyoko moaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut. 'I can't believe Tsuruga san would have been fired because of my mistake! Even if I apologize, I don't think Tsuruga san will forgive me this time.' Kyoko shook her head furiously, as if shaking off her negative emotions, 'No! Even if Tsuruga san doesn't forgive me, I have to get director Takumi to understand! I can't have Tsuruga san suffer for my mistake!'

A fiercely determined Kyoko stood up and hurriedly changed. 'I can't disrupt the work schedule, so I'll thoroughly explain what happened yesterday to Director Takumi at lunch.' Kyoko nodded firmly, her resolve showing through clearly as she went over to the make-up artist for the final touch-ups. 'Tsuruga san has been so kind to me today even though I haven't even formally apologized to him yet. If I let this go, I'll never be able to look Tsuruga san in the eye again!'

"Kyoko san! What happened to your wrist?!" The make-up artist exclaimed, ushering Kyoko over to the stool in front of the mirror.

Kyoko smiled prettily. "It's nothing, just a little bruise. Director Takumi said that he doesn't want you to cover the bruise in any way." She said calmly.

"Well... if Director Takumi says so..." The make-up artist conceded reluctantly. "But such a large bruise will be very pronounced in the pictures." Taking a closer look at Kyoko's bruise while gathering her materials, the older woman gasped in surprise. "Oh, Kyoko san, who did this to you? It must really hurt when you move it!"

Kyoko flexed her wrist and winced lightly. "It doesn't hurt that much actually," Remembering the first part of what she had heard, Kyoko frowned, "and it's my own fault that I have this bruise, I brought it on myself."

The make-up artist looked at Kyoko with something that looked suspiciously like pity. "Kyoko san, victims of abuse, no matter what they say, are not at fault for what happened to them. Whoever put that mark on you is the one at fault, not you."

Kyoko's eyes widened in anger. She abruptly stood up and glared at the older woman, who was severely frightened by the dark aura surrounding Kyoko. "Tsuruga san did not abuse me! I'm the one that forced him to hold my wrists tighter during the photo shoot! It's my fault! Don't you dare say it's Tsuruga san's fault!" Kyoko cried, all her pent up frustration at what had happened earlier came bursting out, the dark aura slowly dissipating. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks, flowing faster and faster as she sat back down on the stool. "It was my fault, but everyone keeps blaming Tsuruga san! It was my fault! I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san!" Kyoko wailed, her voice carrying over to the dressing room next door.

Ren stiffened at the sound of Kyoko's tear drenched voice, sighing heavily as he stepped outside. 'I'm sorry... Kyoko.'

Takumi secretly smirked as he overheard Ren's emotion-filled sigh. 'Don't think you're going to have a fun day after what you've done. President Takarada would destroy me if he found out I let you off easy after hurting Kyoko like that. Well, at least I'll be having fun.'

Fifteen minutes later, Takumi's smirk had long since morphed into an impatient frown. Calling out to one of his staff milling around, he murmured. "Go check on Kyoko and see what's taking so long."

Ren stopped the staff member before he could take a step towards Kyoko's dressing room. "I'll go." Ren said quietly.

Takumi shrugged. "Suit yourself; just make sure she's out here in five minutes"

Ren nodded his head, "Understood." and walked briskly towards Kyoko's dressing room.

About to knock on the door, Ren's fist met with thin air as he looked down to see Kyoko standing directly in front of him. His hand falling back down to his side, Ren stared silently at the girl before him.

Dressed in a semi-formal outfit, Kyoko's bright brown eyes and smooth white skin seemed to stand out more than ever amidst the dark red and black color she was clothed in. The dark red blouse had light frills a shade darker scattered along its length in a zigzag pattern; the off-the-shoulder, long sleeve design left Kyoko's left shoulder bare to the touch while the sleeves ended midway down her forearms, just above the bruise.

The soft, flowing black slacks made her legs seem long and slim, hiding their shape but emphasizing their length, as Kyoko does have rather long legs for her height. Black flats allowed the attention to be drawn solely to her figure, as her blouse was the only color in her outfit, complemented by the blood red lipstick painted on Kyoko's lips. Her hair was left down and made slightly tousled for a casually mature look.

Kyoko looked down, a bit startled at seeing Ren up close all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san... for making everyone wait for me."

Ren smiled softly, a slightly warmth amidst the cold his outfit seemed to project outward. "It's alright. Let's go." Turning around, Ren led the way to where Takumi was waiting, with Kyoko following close behind.

Looking absentmindedly at Ren's back, Kyoko shivered lightly. The icy silver, long-sleeved shirt looked soft, but cold to the touch, not that Kyoko dared to reach out and see if how it looked was how it felt as well. The seams of the shirt were lined with black, emphasizing the harsh brightness the silver seemed to inflict upon the eyes. Complementing the black lining, the buttons that stretched from Ren's collarbone down to his waist, plus the few that added a little decoration to the cuffs on his wrist were also dyed black.

Made in the same style as the dress shirt, Ren's slacks were a dark gray color, a harsh bleakness that blended well with the shirt's icy brightness. With dull gold thread lining the seams, seeming as if trying, but failing, to bring some warmth to its bleak environment, it allowed the dark gray to become a more fitting atmosphere that was able to bring the contrasting colors together in a pleasing, if icy, mixture. Dark gray shoes completed the look, being the only part of his outfit that was purely one color.

"Kyoko." Takumi's voice forced Kyoko's eyes to leave Ren and settle on the now calm director.

"Yes, Director Takumi?" Kyoko fidgeted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"How's your wrist feeling now?" Takumi asked briskly, secretly amused at the nervousness evident in every move Kyoko made.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt." Kyoko murmured, finally settling down and clasping her hands together, her bruise in plain view.

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? We can't have you wincing in pain for more than one pose."

Both Ren and Kyoko looked at Takumi in confusion, not understanding why Kyoko would be allowed to wince in the first place. "I'm sure." Kyoko managed to force out, trying not to let her curiosity get the better of her.

Takumi swiftly reached out and grabbed Kyoko's injured wrist, causing Kyoko to hiss from the pain the bruise caused her. "I'm sorry, did that hurt? I thought you said your wrist didn't hurt anymore, Kyoko." Takumi mentally laughed, loving the look of rage that had appeared on Ren's face. "If the look on your face is anything to go by, Kyoko, I'd say it still hurts quite a bit, right?"

Kyoko nodded shamefully, still in pain, as Takumi still hadn't let go of her wrist yet. "It doesn't hurt as long as nothing touches it."

Takumi nodded seriously, his expression making him seem to be deep in thought, while all the while he was deciding just how to extract the most fun out of the poor models in front of him.

Lifting Kyoko's wrist up, Takumi bent down and pressed a light kiss on the darkest part of the bruise before finally letting go of Kyoko's wrist, eliciting a deep blush from Kyoko, and a split second deadly glare from Ren. "If that's the case, then you're going to have to bear with a bit of pain Kyoko. Just make sure you don't show it the way you did just now; it would come across as too exaggerated." Takumi said firmly, shifting his gaze to Ren before Kyoko could respond. "Tsuruga san, you'll need to be extremely careful during this photo shoot so as not to injure Kyoko any more than you have already. Understood?"

Ren bowed shallowly, his face hardened slightly as his resolve grew, although the little kiss Takumi had just given Kyoko played a part in the rigidity of his form. "I understand. I won't let a repeat of what happened yesterday occur."

A look of mock surprise appeared on Takumi's face. "Really? That might be a bit difficult, as you two are going to be modeling a re-enactment of what happened yesterday in stage 6 today. Of course, with a few significant differences of my preference."

Ren's eyes widened in shock at Takumi's words, while Kyoko forcibly kept herself from taking a step back to put some distance between her and the man who had just ordered them to re-enact the scene that had caused a rift between her and her most respected senpai.

Takumi's eyes narrowed as he finally allowed himself to show the smile that had been wanting to come out for quite some time now. "Why else would I have Kyoko deliberately not cover such a noticeable bruise, hmm?"

Savoring the silence as Ren and Kyoko stared at him in barely veiled horror, Takumi laughed quietly. "I would suggest that you two stop gawking at me and follow me to the set so I can explain what I meant in more detail. I do believe you'll have more fun this time around." 'At least I will.'

A/N: I tried not to make it too much of a cliffhanger this time, since I won't be updating soon, but if I did, I couldn't really help it, haha, cliffhangers are just too much fun to use. ^^

Thank you to everyone who read this chapter and this fanfic. I deeply appreciate it.


	31. Chapter 31

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, I was able to find some time to work on my fanfic (yay!), so I should able to post every once in a while like this time. Actually, I was only able to get it done in two weeks cause I ended up writing an outline in my head about some events for the last day of the modeling shoot. ^^ Well, I'm happy, haha.

Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, I really wanted to get to 750 reviews, and I actually got there, so thank you so much!!! (I was literally grinning from ear to ear once I saw I had that many reviews, ehehe) Thank you to the people who put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts list, it's awesome that so many people like this fanfic, haha.

Dedication: to Spherrow, because when you sent me the editing notes, it so made my day when you wrote that you had to read it twice because the first time you were enjoying it so much, haha. ^^

Oh, and just as a heads up, during the photo shoot, I wrote it as if you were seeing it from Takumi's side (i.e. the camera. ^^) Hope that makes sense!

Chapter 31

"We're going to make it look like the bruise is just part of the 'storyline' in the album." Takumi said calmly, pausing for a moment so that Ren and Kyoko could come close enough to see the set behind him. "As I mentioned yesterday, the last three stages will be photographed on the main set. This is because the emotions that will be portrayed today tend to be more private than those portrayed previously."

Indeed, this set did have a more intimate atmosphere, as it looked like they were in the living room of someone's house. The walls were painted a light cream color, softly reflecting the light from an original Tiffany lamp that rested atop a mahogany coffee table. The intricate designs etched into the sides of the rectangular table complemented the lacy patterns on the Tiffany lamp beautifully.

The sofa was dark blue in color. Long enough for three people, it stood out proudly against the neutrals colors in the background, being the main piece of furniture in the room.

A beautifully ornate, oval mirror was hung up on the wall on the right side of the room opposite the Tiffany lamp. Its mahogany frame was made in the same design as the coffee table, the reddish brown sheen made even more prominent by its gentle background.

"Make sure you keep the mirror's position in mind as you pose, especially you, Tsuruga san." Takumi commented. Seeing the mild look of surprise on Ren's face, Takumi explained, "Since you won't be facing the camera in every pose, remember where the mirror is so that you can use it to allow your facial expression to be seen clearly even if your back is to me."

Ren nodded seriously, already calculating in his mind where he would need to position himself so that the camera could catch his facial expression in the mirror at the best angles.

Shooting a look at Kyoko, his gaze traveling down to her injured wrist, Takumi ordered, "Make sure that bruise is not visible till I cue you, otherwise this scenario won't work."

"Director Takumi?" Kyoko called; her eyes clear of any unrest that had been lurking there only a few minutes ago. "Can you please explain this scenario you were talking about?"

Takumi finally gave Kyoko a genuine smile for the first time that day, for some reason inordinately pleased that Kyoko had finally started acting like the professional she was. "Gladly. I've only tweaked the original scenario a bit, so there hasn't been that much change in what I had planned for the last three stages. Only now, your bruise will symbolize stage six's theme: anger/hate, and be the focal point for stages seven and eight, which is why we're going to pretend that Tsuruga san caused the bruise towards the end of this stage instead. In order to achieve that without making the bruise look out of place, Tsuruga san, you will be holding on to Kyoko's wrist for most of the photo shoot." Takumi's smile gradually morphed into a tiny smirk once he saw Kyoko's face pale slightly after his explanation. "That's why I told you earlier that you're going to have to bear with a little pain, Kyoko."

A bit of color returning to her face, Kyoko bowed formally. "I will do my best not to let it affect my performance in any way!"

Takumi nodded in satisfaction. "Good." Turning towards Ren, his eyes grew serious. "Tsuruga san, you need to hold Kyoko's wrist as gently as possible, while seeming to be using enough force to the point of injury. I'm sure you understand what I mean."

Ren closed his eyes momentarily and tested his grip on his own wrist while tensing the muscles in his arm. Finished, Ren let his hands fall to his sides, taking a deep breath, and then letting it out. Opening his eyes, Ren smiled politely. "Of course."

For the next ten to fifteen minutes, Takumi explained in more detail how they would be posing in stage six, as this stage was one where the "storyline" required more specificity than the other stages, especially since they were planning to incorporate Kyoko's bruise into the storyline.

Satisfied that Ren and Kyoko understood what they needed to do, Takumi imparted his final order. "Oh, and one more thing, no talking whatsoever to each other during this stage. I wouldn't want either of you to get even slightly distracted this time, as both of you need to be concentrating at a much higher level during this photo shoot. I'm sure you two know why." Takumi finished, deliberately staring at Kyoko's wrist for a moment to get his point across loud and clear.

Both Ren and Kyoko stared back at Takumi in understanding, as neither of them wanted to have anything else that would disrupt them during this stage. "Hai!"

Walking onto the set, Kyoko flexed her injured wrist lightly; forcing herself to maintain a calm expression as she painstakingly rolled her wrist in a circle. 'This kind of pain is nothing.' Sneaking a glance at Ren, Kyoko's mouth tensed lightly. 'I will not allow anyone to say anything bad about Tsuruga san again because of me!'

Having the first few poses be directed by Director Takumi had been the standard for all five stages so far. However, with this stage, more than a third of the poses would be directed, not only in the beginning, but for the first time, the last few poses would be directed as well.

Fiddling with his camera a bit before bringing the lens into focus, Takumi's eyes narrowed in concentration once he saw his models were ready. 'Well then, let the show begin...'

Kyoko and Ren stood in front of the sofa, with Kyoko on the left, and Ren on the right. Ren grabbed Kyoko's right wrist possessively, forcing her upper body to twist towards him, as if to say, "You're mine, I won't allow you to get away from me!" His glare seemed to pierce right though Kyoko as he held onto her firmly despite her resistance, the tension in his body attesting to his anger.

Kyoko leaned back a bit, doing her best to face front even though her arm seemed to dig into her ribcage because of Ren's grip on her wrist. Forcing her mind past the pain, which was actually significantly less than when Takumi had grabbed the same place earlier, Kyoko threw Ren a look that twisted her face into a mask of resentment and rage.

Her hair had fallen over to her right side, leaving her neck bare as well as her left shoulder. The porcelain color that seemed so pure only amplified awareness of the atmosphere filled with angry tension.

Under Takumi's direction, Kyoko and Ren went through pose after pose, showing the full range of ability the two models had as they strove to give the best performance they could, with Ren holding onto Kyoko's wrist the entire time.

Finally, after about an hour and a half, Takumi gave them the signal they'd been waiting for. Kyoko tensed, bracing herself for what was going to happen next.

With a brief look of apology slipping through Ren's mask, before disappearing amidst the rage in his countenance, Ren backed Kyoko into the wall to the right of the mirror, with Kyoko glaring fiercely as she felt the grip on her wrist tighten slightly. Ren held Kyoko's injured wrist up high above her head, her elbow locked in place as Ren stepped closer to pin Kyoko against the wall with his body.

Kyoko finally allowed herself to wince noticeably before ripping her hand out of Ren's grip, using her elbow to create enough space between them to hold it protectively against her chest, her eyes widening as she looked down at her bruise in a mixture of horror and astonishment.

Ren took a step back, the anger in his lessening just slightly. Turning his head away from the camera, the position of the mirror allowed Takumi to clearly capture Ren's expression of self-hatred on film.

Kyoko slowly raised her gaze to look up at Ren, her face a mask of murderous intent as she used her injured hand to slap the man in front of her. The force of the blow making her wince slightly in pain as she forced Ren's head to turn 180 degrees towards the camera.

"Okay, that's it for stage six!" Takumi called, chills still running up and down his spine from the look Kyoko had given Ren right before slapping him. 'Now _that_ was a good picture!'

"Tsuruga san! Are you alright?!" Kyoko hovered around Ren, lightly touching the pink blotch on his face where she had slapped him. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"

Ren smiled softly. "It's fine, Mogami san, you were only doing what you were told. Besides, Director Takumi did say to use a bit of force to make it more believable. Don't worry, look the mark's already fading."

Kyoko bit her lip sharply, hesitating for a moment before making up her mind. Shaking her head no, Kyoko took a deep breath and stepped away from the wall. "We need to make sure it goes away completely before lunch is over. As professionals in showbiz, one of our most important duties is to take good care of our bodies, so I won't let Tsuruga san suffer because of something that was my fault to begin with!" Kyoko declared, shoving Ren towards his dressing room.

"Mogami san..." Ren knew as he recalled the emotions that had played across Kyoko's face when she made her speech that she wasn't just talking about the quickly fading mark on his cheek.

"Tsuruga san, are you sure it doesn't still hurt?" Kyoko asked worriedly, pushing Ren into his dressing room before hurrying to find an icepack to press against his cheek.

Ren sighed, as much as he "secretly" enjoyed having Kyoko mother him like this, he knew he couldn't let her continue doing so. "Mogami san, you need this icepack more than I do. I'm sure it wasn't easy having me holding your wrist for an hour and a half." Quickly taking the icepack away from Kyoko, Ren carefully wrapped the icepack around Kyoko's injured wrist. "It won't make the bruise heal any faster, but it should help with the pain."

"But-" Kyoko protested."

Ren shook his head, using his free hand to point to his face. "I'm fine. The mark isn't even visible anymore. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all." Sighing, Ren lowered his gaze to where he was holding the icepack against Kyoko's wrist. "I should have done this for you yesterday instead of acting like an idiot." Ren murmured under his breath.

Kyoko looked at Ren curiously. "What?"

Ren smiled. "Nothing." His expression turning serious, Ren tensed slightly. "Mogami san, I need to talk to you about yesterday."

Kyoko widened in panic, remembering her intention of setting things straight with Takumi before talking to Ren. "Tsuruga san, I'm really sorry. I need to talk to Director Takumi right now." Bowing the best she could, considering Ren was still holding the icepack around her wrist, Kyoko repeated, "I'm sorry. I'll talk to you afterwards!"

Ren's eyes narrowed, about to insist on speaking to her now, when Kyoko gently detached Ren's hand from the icepack, holding it against her bruise herself. "Tsuruga san, please."

Ren sighed harshly, unable to protest when Kyoko's eyes were pleading with him so earnestly. "Alright." He said quietly.

Kyoko bowed deeply. "Thank you, Tsuruga san." Turning her back on Ren, Kyoko opened the door and left Ren's dressing room.

* * *

Takumi sat down at the munch table, his eyes narrowing in curiosity as he watched Kyoko push Ren into his dressing room and close the door behind them. 'Well, isn't that interesting...'

The dark forceful tones of the piano solo in the beginning of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 2 No. 18, came bursting out of Takumi's pocket, startling everyone except Takumi within a two meter radius. Calmly taking his phone out of his pocket, Takumi sighed once he saw the number displayed on the mini LCD screen. 'I figured he'd call sooner or later.'

The moment he put the phone up to his ear, a familiar voice came booming out of the phone, making Takumi wince at the sheer volume of his voice. "Director Takumi, is it true that Ren injured Kyoko chan yesterday during a photo shoot?!"

Takumi held the phone a bit away from his ear as he answered, "Yes, but not seriously. The only damage is the bruise on Kyoko's right wrist."

Takumi could hear the tension in Takarada Lory's voice as he replied, "Only? Why didn't you fire Ren? It was highly unprofessional of him to injure another model during the photo shoot."

"Because, I believe that Tsuruga san and Kyoko have too much chemistry together on camera for me to destroy that potential over one unfortunate accident." Takumi explained simply.

Lory remained silent for a moment, mulling over Takumi's words. "So you believe that someone like Ren, who was unprofessional enough to injure his partner, will do better than Sasaki kun?"

Takumi smiled wryly. 'As usual, his information network is flawless.' Noting that Kyoko had exited Ren's dressing room, and was walking towards him, Takumi stood up and walked away, indicating to Kyoko with a few hand gestures not to bother him right now.

Making sure that Kyoko was out of hearing range before speaking, Takumi came to a standstill. "Yes, I do. In fact, I believe that the chemistry between the two of them is stronger now because of what happened yesterday. The combination that these two models make is the only one that will do for this project." Takumi said firmly.

Lory sighed. "If you want to keep Ren for your project that badly, then I won't stop you... but this had better be your best work yet."

Takumi's eyes gleamed victoriously. "It will be."

A/N: I'm so glad I was able to write this chapter, haha, I really thought i was going to have no time for this wonderful hobby of mine. . Well, it's all good, , Takumi can be a bit cruel and self-serving, but he really is a professional when it comes to his work. Yup, a lot of what he does is for his work *cough* and for fun *cough cough* ^^

Thank you to every who has read this chapter and this fanfic, you guys are awesome! ^^


	32. Chapter 32

Ren's Birthday

Chapter 31

A/N: Okay, this one took me longer to post than i thought it would, but chapter 33 shouldn't take as long... hopefully. ^^ Don't really have much to say this time, so I'll be quiet now. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and put this story on their story alerts and favorites list, I really appreciate it!

Dedication: To firnlambe, for giving me the little push I needed to finish typing and editing this chapter. ^^ (Can i have those cookies now? ^^)

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic, i did write it after all, haha.

Kyoko sighed in frustration once she realized that she wouldn't be able to talk to Director Takumi anytime soon. 'I'll just have to wait until he's done talking on the phone.'

"Mogami san…" Kyoko almost jumped out of her skin as she felt Ren standing directly behind her. "Since Director Takumi seems busy right now, surely you wouldn't begrudge me a few minutes to talk about yesterday's incident, right?"

Kyoko shrunk back, feeling slightly like a cornered rabbit that was staring up at a hungry lion. 'If I say no, Tsuruga san's going to be really mad, but I don't think I should talk to Tsuruga san about yesterday until I make Director Takumi understand that the bruise on my wrist is entirely my own fault!'

Seeing Kyoko's indecisiveness, Ren gave her his best gentlemanly smile. "Mogami san, are you trying to avoid talking to me about yesterday?"

Unable to handle that particular smile, Kyoko burst into tears. "I was trying to avoid talking about yesterday with Tsuruga san until I cleared things up with Director Takumi. I'm sorry Tsuruga san, I didn't consider your feelings at all!" Kyoko wailed.

Ren almost burst out laughing at how predictable Kyoko was, but schooled himself into presenting a serious face to his kouhai. "Then are you willing to talk to me about yesterday now?"

Kyoko nodded shamefully. "Hai…" 'I never even considered how Tsuruga san would feel with me constantly avoiding talking about what happened yesterday, especially since I promised to apologize to him about it last night!'

Ren let out a small sigh of relief. "I don't think either of us would be comfortable discussing this particular topic out here, so we better go someplace a bit more private."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Takumi shut his phone and turned around to see Ren and Kyoko walking into Kyoko's dressing room this time, closing the door behind them. 'Well, they seem to be in a serious mood at the moment, but…' Takumi smiled wickedly, 'hopefully they'll have a little fun too.'

Kyoko looked around skittishly, not wanting to face Ren as he closed the door behind them.

"Mogami san," Ren murmured, leaning his back against the door.

"Y-yes, Tsuruga s-san?" Kyoko stammered, still not able to bring herself to look Ren in the eye.

Ren sighed. "It's rude to avoid looking at the person you're talking to, Mogami san."

Kyoko snapped to attention, then bowed several times to her senpai in apology. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san! I didn't mean to be rude!"

"You don't need to apologize Mogami san." Ren reached out to stop Kyoko from bowing. "On the contrary, I'm the one who owes you an apology."

Kyoko's eyes widened as Ren continued on. "It really is my fault that you're injured right now, I'm sorry. I should have apologized sooner instead of allowing you to believe that you were the one who was at fault. Ren bowed shallowly. "I'm sorry, Mogami san."

Kyoko shook her head violently, not wanting to register the fact that Tsuruga Ren, the number one actor in Japan, was bowing to her in apology. 'No, Tsuruga san, why?! Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing to you!' Kyoko closed her eyes, trying to make sense of her thoughts. "Tsuruga san."

Ren stood up straight again, the look on Kyoko's face not giving him much hope that she would forgive him after all that had happened. "Yes?" Ren replied quietly, bracing himself for rejection.

"You don't need to apologize." Kyoko said slowly, "You haven't done anything wrong." Kyoko raised her gaze to lock eyes with Ren for the first time since they had walked into Kyoko's dressing room, her eyes burned with determination.

Taken aback by Kyoko's unexpected response, Ren murmured, "What?"

"You don't need to apologize," Kyoko repeated, her voice stronger now. "You haven't done anything wrong. This bruise is my own fault, not yours. Director Takumi just made you believe that it was your fault because of what he said this morning." Taking a deep breath, Kyoko bowed deeply. "Thank you for trying to protect me, but I can't run away from my mistakes. I'm sorry that Tsuruga san had to endure almost getting fired because of me, I'm sorry." Kyoko's voice wavered slightly, as if she was trying to hold back tears. "I promise I won't let you take the blame for a mistake that I made ever again, and this time, I'll make sure to keep my promise!"

Ren stared at Kyoko, speechless, as Kyoko smiled at him cheerfully. "Don't worry, Tsuruga san. I'll make sure Director Takumi understands who was really at fault yesterday."

Ren felt as if Kyoko had just stabbed him straight through the heart with a large, sharp, and pointy object. "Mogami san, no, that's not-!" Ren protested.

"Tsuruga san," Kyoko cut in, forcing Ren to step away from the door, "just wait a bit while I clear up this misunderstanding, please? I'm sure that once I convince Director Takumi of your innocence, you won't be able to believe that it was your fault anymore. After all, you didn't think this way until Director Takumi brainwashed you this morning, right?" Kyoko smiled one last time before leaving Ren alone once more, this time, in the wrong dressing room.

Ren felt his mouth gape open in shock at Kyoko's last words. 'Brainwashed me? She thinks Director Takumi brainwashed me into thinking this way?! Even for Kyoko, that's too much!' Ren stilled. 'Wait, considering what happened on Tuesday… well, I guess this is within the range of her way of thinking, but still…!'

Closing his eyes for a moment to clear his thoughts, Ren sat down on a stool in front of him. 'How am I supposed to apologize if she won't believe me?' Ren grimaced slightly. 'I can't exactly tell her the reason I was careless, I doubt she would believe me, and even if she did, she probably would never want to come near me again…'

Ren leaned his head against the mirror that stretched across the entire wall. 'Damn it.'

"Ano, Director Takumi?" Kyoko stood across from Takumi as he sat back down at the lunch table.

"What is it, Kyoko?" Takumi asked irritably, still feeling a bit annoyed at the fact that he had had to defend Ren against Lory. 'Looks like they didn't have any fun after all…'

"Um…" Kyoko fidgeted, now that the time had come to defend her position, Kyoko found herself lost for words.

Takumi sighed, his mouth turning downwards in displeasure. "Just spit it out already!"

Kyoko bowed formally, then suddenly shouted, "Please allow me to explain what happened yesterday! It wasn't Tsuruga san's fault! If I hadn't been careless… please give me a chance to explain!"

Takumi sat back in his seat, closing his eyes in irritation. 'Persistent, isn't she?' Opening his eyes, Takumi looked at Kyoko's little demonstration with forced amusement. "Very well, I'll give you five minutes."

Kyoko almost jumped up in excitement at finally being given a chance to explain herself. "Thank you, Director Takumi!"

"Hai hai," Takumi waved away Kyoko's squeals of gratitude, "just hurry up so I can get back to my lunch."

'Oh, that's right. I need to make sure Tsuruga san eats well today.' Kyoko nodded to herself, smiling obliviously until Takumi's impatient tapping on the table brought Kyoko back to reality. 'Well, you see…" Kyoko went on to explain to Director Takumi about what happened yesterday in exactly the same way she did with Moko yesterday afternoon, as that explanation seem to work well enough last time.

"Are you done?" Takumi asked quietly, leaning forward now.

Kyoko stood tall, glad that Takumi didn't look irritated anymore. "Hai."

Takumi tilted his head slightly to the side. "Kyoko?"

Kyoko braced herself. "Yes?"

Takumi have Kyoko a small smile, with not exactly a mocking manner, but more a mixture of friendliness and sarcasm. "Did I ever tell Tsuruga san that he had to pose that way for the end of stage five?"

Kyoko frowned, "No, but-"

Takumi held up his hand, cutting Kyoko off. "Did I ever say that Tsuruga san had to hold your wrists tightly for any duration of stage 5?"

Kyoko's frown grew deeper. "No…"

Takumi's smile grew wider. "The end of stage five was mainly freestyle, Kyoko. The only requirement was for Tsuruga san to pull you into the gazebo."

Kyoko couldn't refute what Takumi was saying, although she dearly wished to.

"Kyoko, do you understand now? No one forced Tsuruga san to use that pose, or, if we go by what you just told me, to support your weight so poorly."

Kyoko frantically searched her mind for another reason, something that pointed to the fact it was completely her fault. 'It had to be my fault! There's no other reason why Tsuruga san was so angry with me yesterday!' "But even if no one forced Tsuruga san to use that pose, I should have tried to support my weight as best I could on my own instead of just leaving it to Tsuruga san! It was careless of me; I should have taken into consideration Tsuruga san's position."

"The same could be said of Tsuruga san," Takumi countered. "If he had taken into account your position, then you wouldn't be injured right now." The smile disappearing from Takumi's face, he stated firmly, "Kyoko, no matter how much you wish for it, even if I do concede the fact that you should have been more careful, it's impossible for you to carry the blame for what happened yesterday… and Tsuruga san knows that."

Looking at his watch, Takumi clapped his hands once. "Okay, it's been five minutes. End of discussion. I'm going back to my lunch now."

"Director Takumi!" Kyoko protested, not wanting to let the conversation end on this note.

Takumi gave Kyoko a brief glare, now extremely irritated. "Kyoko, I already let you 'explain' what happened yesterday in detail, I also let you state why you thought yesterday's incident was entirely your fault, and, quite frankly, it just sounds like you're making up excuses so that you can take the blame for what happened yesterday away from Tsuruga san. I'm tired of hearing you whine, if you want to keep talking about it, then go talk to Tsuruga san. I'm done."

Kyoko stood there silently, unable to move or speak. 'But it was really my fault…'

Takumi did his best to ignore Kyoko and went back to his lunch. However, after a few minutes of being witness to Kyoko's silent protest, Takumi lightly slammed his fist against the table. "Mogami san, if you really won't give up, then I have no choice but to say this-" Takumi averted his eyes for a moment and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation, some thing Kyoko hadn't seen this normally composed director do before. "I'm only going to say this once, okay?" 'Damn it, Tsuruga san, if you don't make up with Kyoko soon, you'll be begging me for the chance to do so by the time I'm done with you! You better feel grateful to me after this! Damn it…!' "Have you ever… even thought about how Tsuruga san would feel if the person he hurt, his kouhai no less, did her best to ignore his efforts to admit and atone for his mistake, and even placed the blame on herself, hmm? I don't know Tsuruga san very well, but he doesn't seem to be the type of person who would be very happy with what you're trying to do right now. I wouldn't be surprised if you're forcing him to feel even more guilty and ashamed than he already is. Do you really want to do that?" Takumi's eyes narrowed, watching Kyoko closely. Seeing her lower her eyes to avoid his gaze, Takumi continued. "Tsuruga san probably had a reason why he was so careless yesterday. It doesn't make what he did acceptable, but instead of trying to convince me why you think it's your fault, why don't you ask Tsuruga san why he feels it's his fault?"

Getting up from his seat, Takumi turned around and power walked towards his equipment, leaving Kyoko behind. "I can't do this anymore…" Rolling his shoulders slowly to relieve the tension that had built up, Takumi started going over his equipment to calm himself down. 'Kyoko most likely won't try to talk to Tsuruga san until after stage seven, but it won't work if they don't make up before the last stage.' Sending a sharp glare over his shoulder in the direction of Ren's dressing room, Takumi growled mentally, 'I better not have to interfere again later, otherwise I'm going to sic President Takarada on you for all the grief you've caused me today, Tsuruga san!'

A/N: If anyone doesn't understand why Takumi is doing what he's doing, it's all for the sake of one thing-work. ^^ He sure loves his camera, yes he does. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, as always, I'm really grateful to each and every one of you. ^^


	33. Chapter 33

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Short chapter this time.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fanfic, and put it on their story alert and favorites list, you guys are awesome. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I just own this fanfic.

Chapter 33

Kyoko stared at the ground, Takumi's last words repeating over and over in her head like a never-ending mantra. Closing her eyes, she did her best to remember Ren's behavior yesterday.

Shaking her head, Kyoko sighed. 'There's no reason a true professional like Tsuruga san would get careless so easily.

"… instead of trying to convince me why you think it's your fault, why don't you ask Tsuruga san why he feels it's his fault?"

Kyoko bit her lip in indecision. 'Both Director Takumi and Tsuruga san say it's Tsuruga san's fault… maybe if I ask Tsuruga san like Director Takumi told me to, it'll be easier to correct their thinking.' Kyoko nodded. Opening her eyes, Kyoko's gaze settled onto Takumi's half eaten lunch. 'Oh! That's right, Tsuruga san hasn't eaten yet! Running over to her dressing room, Kyoko threw open the door. "Tsuruga san!"

Blinking a few times, Kyoko looked around for a moment, surprised that the room was empty. "He's not here anymore."

Turning around at the sound of someone laughing softly, Kyoko saw Yashiro standing a few feet away. "Yashiro san! Do you know where Tsuruga san is?"

Biting back another fit of laughter, Yashiro replied, "Oh, I just saw Ren going into his dressing room a few minutes ago." 'Though why you would think he was in your dressing room, Kyoko chan, is beyond me.' Yashiro turned around with his back to Kyoko, his eyes practically tearing up at the memory of Kyoko throwing open her dressing room door and shouting, "Tsuruga san!"

"Yashiro san, are you alright?' Kyoko asked worriedly, seeing as Yashiro was shivering lightly. "Are you cold?"

Yashiro shook his head managing to calm down. Turning back around, Yashiro asked, "Would you like me to call Ren for you?"

Kyoko nodded. "Thank you, Yashiro san. Lunch times already half over and I want to make sure Tsuruga san eats well today, after all, I promised President Takarada that he'd eat right during the photo shoot!" 'Although, I'd do the same, promise or no promise.'

Yashiro smiled in understanding. "Okay, I'm sure Ren will be happy you're so concerned about him."

Walking the short distance to Ren's dressing room, Yashiro knocked on the door. "Ren?"

A faint voice was heard from inside the room. "Ah, Yashiro san, I was wondering where you disappeared to this morning."

Noting that the door was unlocked, Yashiro casually opened the door. "I was just finishing up some paperwork from Matsushima san." Yashiro stilled on hearing Kyoko's voice call out softly. "Tsuruga san! You need to go… get something… to eat." Turning to look at Kyoko, who was standing next to him, Yashiro watched as her face slowly turned bright red.

Bowing quickly, Kyoko whispered, "Sorry for disturbing you at an inconvenient time." And ran to her dressing room, slamming the door behind her.

Turning around, Ren saw Yashiro standing in the doorway with a bemused expression on his face. "I thought I just heard Mogami san's voice." He said absently, carefully hanging up the dress shirt he had worn for stage 6, before quickly grabbing his own shirt from a nearby hanger.

Yashiro's eyes gleamed as he said nonchalantly, "Oh, Kyoko chan just asked me to tell you that you need to eat properly today. So you probably should go get something to eat now."

Ren nodded. "Alright." Walking outside, Ren looked around. "Where's Mogami san?"

Yashiro did his best to keep his voice steady as he answered, "I think she realized that she needed to change before getting something to eat."

Ren smiled, relieved that Kyoko didn't seem to be avoiding him at the moment, though the emotional stress he had already accumulated today had taken a toll on his already small appetite. "I'm not that hungry today, I think I'll just eat a little."

Kyoko stood with her back against the door, shaking her head violently in protest as she overheard Ren's comment. 'I better get changed quickly, otherwise Tsuruga san won't really eat that much.' Kyoko's face turned scarlet, her ears practically giving off steam. 'I need… to get… changed.'

Ten minutes later, Kyoko came out of her dressing room dressed in her own clothing, her mind exhausted from trying to block out what she had seen earlier.

"Kyoko chan!" Yashiro called, hurrying to Kyoko's side. "Ren barely got anything to eat from the buffet!" In a quieter voice, he asked, "Kyoko chan, are you alright? Your face is still bright red."

Kyoko nodded stiffly. Walking in a jerky motion towards the lunch table, Kyoko did her best not to look at Ren. Seeing how little he had on his plate, Kyoko frowned. "Tsuruga san, a few pieces of fruit for lunch isn't enough!"

Ren looked up at Kyoko, "I didn't just get a few pieces of fruit, I had a couple of tamagoyakis earlier too."

Kyoko whipped her head around to lecture Ren. "That's not even a snack, much less lunch!" Kyoko admonished, quickly averting her gaze from Ren's face. The blush she had been fighting down since she had walked over to the lunch table now rising to the surface, tinting her cheeks a light pink.

Ren frowned. "Are you alright, Mogami san?" Standing up, Ren gently put his hand on Kyoko's forehead. "You look flushed… it doesn't feel like you have a fever though, that's good."

Kyoko flinched at Ren's touch, taking a few steps back as her blush grew deeper, making her cheeks look like they belonged on a cherry tomato plant rather than on her face. "I-I'm fine, Tsuruga san! Don't worry!" Practically running over to the buffet table to put some distance between her and Ren, even for only a moment, Kyoko piled food onto two plates, placing the one with more food in front of Ren. "That should be enough."

Ren blanched slightly at the amount of food in front of him. "Make sure you eat all of it!" Kyoko stated firmly, starting in on her own plate of food.

Ren glanced over at Kyoko, who had chosen to sit next to Yashiro, putting some distance between them, as Yashiro was sitting on Ren's left hand side. Ren frowned lightly at seeing Kyoko sneak a peek at him before quickly going back to her food, her cheeks an abnormally bright pink. A tiny snicker brought Ren's attention onto Yashiro, who seemed to be hiding something and was gloating over the information he was withholding from Ren.

Ren leaned over to whisper, "Yashiro san, what's wrong with Mogami san? Her face has been flushed ever since she walked over here."

Yashiro let a sadistic smile slip through. "Are you really sure you want to know, Ren?" Yashiro laughed quietly, eliciting a sigh from Ren.

Sitting back in his seat, Ren went back to his food. "No."

Yashiro pouted. "You seemed really curious about it a few seconds ago."

Ren shook his head, remaining silent.

Yashiro snuck a glance at Kyoko, who was now looking at the both of them curiously, wondering what they were whispering about. "I doubt Kyoko chan ill tell you anytime soon, she'd be too embarrassed to."

Overhearing Yashiro's last comment, Kyoko immediately felt her entire face turn hot, steam practically rising from her head in one big puff of smoke as she suddenly found picking at her lunch to be absolutely fascinating.

Noting Kyoko reaction, Ren's curiosity was piqued once more. "Mogami san, is something the matter?"

Kyoko shook her head, waving her hands wildly in denial. "No, nothing's wrong, everything's fine, just fine!" Kyoko laughed nervously, not meeting Ren's gaze.

Ren's eyes narrowed, confused by Kyoko's reaction. Asking in a low tone of voice, Ren whispered, "You're not avoiding me again, are you?"

"Eh?!" Kyoko snapped her head over to look Ren directly in the eye, surprised by the conclusion he'd come to. "Of course not!"

Ren relaxed, a heavenly smile naturally appearing on his face, leaving Kyoko to choke on her food. "Is that so," Ren murmured, "Good."

Kyoko looked down, unable to face Ren's heavenly smile, but for some reason, she felt worse when she redirected her gaze to his shoulder instead, as what happened earlier kept running through her head. 'It's… different, I was okay before, why is it different now?!' Giving up, Kyoko decided to stare at her food until she finished eating; even her neck was red by now.

Eating as fast as she could without seeming to be scarfing down her food, Kyoko quickly finished her lunch and got up. After bowing to both men, Kyoko practically flew over to her dressing room, grateful that she didn't have to be anywhere near Ren for at least 15 minutes.

In contrast, Ren slowly worked his way through his food, with Yashiro pestering him the entire time. "Yashiro san, if Mogami san doesn't want to tell me, then I think I don't need to know."

Even if the reason Kyoko chan's blushing is because of you?" Yashiro asked slyly.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "What you mean?"

Yashiro blinked, an innocent expression appearing on his face. "I though you didn't want to know if Kyoko chan isn't willing to tell you."

"Yashiro san…" Ren murmured in a warning tone, knowing that he was being pulled into Yashiro's little game, but unable to help himself this time around.

"Well… she'd be too embarrassed to tell you, because it could be considered an invasion of privacy." Yashiro said cryptically, a look of glee crossing his face.

When Ren just stared at him blankly, Yashiro sighed, whispering silently, "You know, you really should lock the door when you're changing, Ren."

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I really appreciate it.


	34. Chapter 34

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Finally finished finals yesterday, so I was able to type this up. ^^ It took me a while to get the wording for this chapter right, so I hope it reads smoothly, haha. ^^ Sorry for making you guys wait for so long. I really appreciate the fact that anyone even reads this story. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters. Takumi, however is mine. ^^

Chapter 34

Kyoko pulled her knees into her chest as she sat down in the darkest corner of her dressing room. Feeling a little light headed, her attention was drawn to the fact that she was severely hyperventilating, and had been ever since she had entered the room. 'Calm down, I need to calm down!' Deciding to hold her breath to stop herself from hyperventilating, Kyoko's face slowly went from red to purple as she concentrated on "not hyperventilating".

The knock on the door went unnoticed even as a high-pitched female voice called out, "Kyoko san, please start getting ready for stage 7 soon... Kyoko san?" Opening the door to make sure Kyoko was actually inside, the young staff member looked around the room. "Kyoko san?" 'I guess she's not in here...' Just as she was about to close the door, she caught sight of something that looked like the sleeve of a white blouse in the far right corner. A feeling of dread suddenly washing over her, the wary staff member opened the door once again and slowly moved towards the now completely visible white blouse in the corner. "Kyoko san?" Getting close enough to see adequately into the corner's dim lighting, her eyes widened as her mouth gaped open to emit a high-pitched scream... before fainting dead away in the middle of the room.

All three men heard the scream coming from Kyoko's dressing room. Ren, who had bolted from his chair the moment he heard the scream, was the only one to hear the dull thud that came shortly after.

"Mogami san! Is everything alright?!" Ren called, his concern and worry heavily coloring his voice as he ran into the room, almost tripping over the unconscious staff member. Picking up the poor female, he handed her over to Yashiro to take care of after making sure she was still breathing.

Catching sight of what had caused the staff member to faint in the first place, Yashiro paled, feeling a cold chill run up and down his spine. "Ren, over there." As his hands were currently occupied, he tilted his head in the direction of the far right corner. "Kyoko chan's over there."

Turning his head towards where Yashiro was gesturing to, Ren blanched slightly upon seeing Kyoko, unconscious, curled up into a ball, her hair obscuring half her face. In the dim lighting, with her face a pale white tone, for a moment, she could pass as a spirit silently haunting the room from the shadows.

Overcoming the shock he had felt over Kyoko's appearance, Ren hurriedly walked over to Kyoko's side, kneeling down so that his face was level with Kyoko's. "Mogami san? Mogami san!" Gently shaking Kyoko's shoulder to wake her up, Ren repeated, "Mogami san, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Hearing an irritated sigh somewhere above him, Ren looked over his shoulder to find Director Takumi standing directly behind him. "It doesn't seem like she'll be waking up anytime soon. There's a futon in the closet to your right. Take it out and have her lie down for a while."

Following Takumi's orders, Ren and Yashiro, who had just come back inside after handing the unconscious female staff member to another staff member outside, laid out the futon near the wall before Ren picked Kyoko up and gently set her down on the futon. "Good. Tsuruga san, you go get ready for stage 7. I assume Yashiro san would be more than willing to watch over Kyoko in the meantime."

"Of course." Yashiro murmured. "I'll let you know if she wakes up."

Ren reluctantly left the room, deciding to get changed as fast as possible in order to return to Kyoko's side.

* * *

'It's different... why?' Kyoko frowned, her eyes remaining closed as her mind worked to solve this problem. 'I was fine last time. Actually, he was wearing even less that time, so why?' Kyoko compared the image she had of Ren in only swimming trunks from the first half of stage 2, and the more recent image she had of Ren changing, her face heating up once more at the memory of the second image. 'He hadn't even finished taking off his shirt yet-' "AHHH! It's too embarrassing to think about!" Kyoko shouted, sitting up in a flash while covering her flaming hot face with her hands.

"K-Kyoko chan, are you alright?" Yashiro asked haltingly, a bit disconcerted by Kyoko's sudden outburst.

"Eh?" Kyoko let her hands fall into her lap, her blush fading from her cheeks. "Yashiro san, when did you come in?" Moving to get up, Kyoko looked down to see herself sitting on a futon. "Why was I... lying down?"

"One of the staff members found you sitting in the corner of the room, unconscious. You didn't respond when we tried to wake you up, so Director Takumi told us to let you rest on this futon until you woke up." Yashiro explained.

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror as she realized just how much trouble she had caused everyone. Throwing herself into a dogeza, Kyoko wailed, "I'm so sorry! I should have been more careful! I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, and for worrying everyone!"

"Are you alright now, Mogami san?" Ren called from the doorway, slowly walking towards Kyoko and Yashiro.

Kyoko sat up a bit and nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"What made you pass out anyways?" Ren asked, genuinely curious and still a little concerned even now.

"I'd like to know the answer to that question myself." Takumi murmured, eliciting a look of surprise from Ren, as Takumi had crept up behind him without him noticing.

Kyoko looked down, not wanting to look at Ren while she explained herself. "O-of course... after I sat down in the corner, I realized I was hyperventilating, so I held my breath to make it stop..." Kyoko answered quietly.

"And?" Takumi prompted.

"And then I passed out, I guess." Kyoko finished lamely, feeling horribly embarrassed.

Takumi sighed harshly. "Mogami san, while we did have a little leeway with our schedule today, that was erased by your childish mistake just now. If you start hyperventilating, take slow deep breaths to calm your breathing down, don't stop breathing altogether. So, from now on, do take care NOT to pass out again. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Kyoko whispered quietly.

"Why were you hyperventilating in the first place?" Takumi asked crossly.

"Um, well..." Kyoko unconsciously glanced at Ren before turning her gaze towards her lap. "B-because I, um... I..." Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut as her cheeks started burning a bright red once more. "I...I...um, I..."

Both Takumi and Yashiro caught Kyoko's glance at Ren. Growing impatient with Kyoko's hesitation to speak, Takumi turned on Ren. "Tsuruga san, since Kyoko seems willing, but unable to tell me, do you have any ideas?" His tone of voice clearly indicating that Ren had no choice but to comply.

Ren slowly shook his head. "No," He answered honestly, "but Yashiro san might."

Yashiro's eyes widened comically. "Eh? Me?!" Yashiro turned to Kyoko, who was nodding her head furiously.

Takumi smiled in satisfaction. "Well, it seems that Kyoko agrees with Tsuruga san. Would you care to explain it in her place, Yashiro san?"

Ren watched as Yashiro bent down to whisper something to Kyoko, who shook her head after he pointed to Ren, but nodded when he pointed to Takumi. Standing up straight, Yashiro then walked over to Director Takumi, whispering something into his ear.

Upon hearing the "reason" why Kyoko had been hyperventilating earlier, Takumi burst out laughing, causing Kyoko's cheeks to burn even brighter. Stifling his laughter a moment later, Takumi asked Yashiro in a low voice that Ren could just barely hear, "So, he doesn't know anything?"

Ren frowned when he saw Yashiro shake his head no. "What's going on here?" Pasting on a bright gentlemanly smile, Ren asked, "What is it that I know nothing about? Hmm, Yashiro san?"

Yashiro blanched. Unable to meet Ren's eyes, he shifted his gaze over to Kyoko, whose eyes were practically begging him to keep his mouth shut. Turning his gaze back towards Ren, Yashiro smiled slyly. "Oh, just something that Kyoko chan doesn't want you to know, that's all."

Ren immediately turned his head to look at Kyoko, who was refusing to meet his eyes. "Mogami san?" Ren prompted.

Kyoko closed her eyes in shame. "I-I'm sorry, Tsuruga san, to keep you in the dark, b-but I don't think I'm able to tell you right now."

Ren paused for a moment, then smiled. "Does that mean you'll be able to tell me later?"

Kyoko froze, making Ren's eyes narrow. "Mogami san?"

Kyoko raised her head little by little, until she was able to look Ren in the eye, her temperature rising a few degrees as a consequence. "I promise I'll tell you when I'm physically capable of doing so!"

Kyoko's response startled a surprised laugh out of Ren. "Well then, that'll do just fine, Mogami san."

Kyoko smiled in relief. "Thank you, Tsuruga san."

Takumi checked his watch and sighed. "Save the chit-chat for later, we need to start stage 7 in 10 minutes or we'll fall behind schedule."

Taking the hint, both Ren and Yashiro nodded and quickly left the room.

Finally alone with Kyoko, Takumi's expression changed completely, morphing from his earlier irritated expression to one that truly gave credence to his playboy reputation. Quickly moving towards Kyoko, who was still sitting on the futon, Takumi bent down and softly whispered in her ear, "How cute, I didn't think you had it in you, to be honest, considering how oblivious you act." Lightly brushing the back of his hand over the bright red color that still lingered on Kyoko's cheeks, Takumi's eyes narrowed just a little. "But, as much as I love seeing you blush, I need you to tone it down a bit for the photo shoot." Leaning back to scan Kyoko's face, Takumi smiled predatorily, gently tilting her head up by lightly pushing up on her jaw. "Yes, just like that. You really do follow direction well, don't you? I love that in my models."

Kyoko stared at Takumi blankly, confused as to how to react, as it felt like he was harassing her and giving her instructions for the next stage at the same time.

Standing back up, Takumi walked towards the door, pausing right before the entrance. "Do try to get dressed quickly. I would hate it as a director and as a man if you were late because you kept thinking about seeing Tsuruga san changing earlier. Understood?" His tone of voice brooked no argument, though there was an undercurrent of amusement hidden in his now stern expression as he looked at the girl sitting before him.

Kyoko stood up for the first time since she had passed out, and nodded gravely. "I shall do my best not to inconvenience anyone, and work even harder from here on out, Director Takumi." Kyoko said quietly, her determination saturating every word.

Takumi shook his head lightly, and gave Kyoko a small smile. "Alright then, I'll see you outside. You'd better be ready in less than..." Takumi checked his watch, "... seven minutes." Takumi ordered.

Kyoko bowed as Takumi closed the door behind him on his way out. "Yes, sir!"

A/N: thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, i really appreciate it. ^^ It's so much fun to write scenes for Takumi, haha.


	35. Chapter 35

Ren's Birthday

A/N: I had wanted to finish this chapter by Christmas, but, alas, I didn't have the time to do so, so it's a bit late, haha. But hey, better late than never, eh? ^^

Just a heads up, this chapter is more like a filler chapter, in that the actual time in this chapter only spans at most five minutes, gahahaha. It's important to the story, but for 5 minutes to last this long in writing... well, if I had tried to incorporate it with the actual modeling shoot, i wouldn't be able to finish this chapter before school started... and that, would be bad. ^^ So, this is a short chapter this time. ^^

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this story on their story alerts and favorites list. I really do appreciate it, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its character. The only character i own is Takumi, because I made him the way he is, haha.

Chapter 35

Kyoko took one last look in the mirror before hurrying out of her dressing room, feeling a bit self-conscious. 'This dress reminds me of the one Moko san had me try on at R Mandy…'

Actually, though the dresses themselves had a few similarities, they looked completely different, whether it be the style, material used; even the color was different, as the dress Kyoko was currently wearing was a dark bluish purple, with a thin stripe of black running along both sides of the dress. Looking at Kyoko from the front, the dress exposed very little skin, with the sleeves of the dress hugging her arms down to her wrists. Only the wide and shallow V-neckline, and the fact that the skirt stopped just below her knees, saved Kyoko from being completely covered from the neck down. The back however, was a different story. This was where the similarities kicked in. Like the emerald green spaghetti strap dress Moko had Kyoko try on at R Mandy, this dress left Kyoko's back almost completely bare, as the material in the back formed a wide V, whose lines only came together at the small of her back.

'Actually, other than the length of the dress, I think that is the only similarity between the two.' Kyoko thought almost absentmindedly, her dark blue heels making a rhythmic sound against the concrete as she walked as quickly as she could without breaking into a run.

Ren caught sight of Kyoko as she rushed towards them and smiled, waiting patiently until she finally caught up to them. "Mogami san, are you sure you're alright now?" Ren asked one last time, wanting to make sure that Kyoko wasn't pushing herself too hard.

Hearing the sounds of someone trying to hold back their laughter, Ren's eyes narrowed dangerously, while Kyoko blushed profusely, although she was able to force the red in her cheeks to fade before answering. "I'm fine now, Tsuruga san. I'm sorry I made you worry about me." She replied, feeling proud that she was able to control her voice this time.

Ren nodded, the tension in his neck disappearing upon hearing Kyoko's answer. "That's good."

Kyoko could feel her face heating up again, but upon spying Takumi giving her a sharp glare, the color in her cheeks quickly died down, earning her a curt nod from the stern director.

Able to look at Ren without her mind clouding over now, Kyoko took in Ren's outfit for the first time. Dressed in all black, Ren wore a silky black polo shirt with an open collar. Shiny black buttons lined the front of the shirt, with the very last button on the bottom left open, giving the shirt a more informal feel. Adding to that were the black designer jeans that hugged Ren's legs more than usual, while still maintaining a straight lined design. Lastly were the same black dress shoes as before, completing the look.

Kyoko gave Ren a tiny smile. 'Dark colors to complement a dark mood…'

Takumi's voice instantly snapped Kyoko out of her mini stupor. "You're on time, good. Then we can get started." Takumi said abruptly, capturing both models' attention. "Like last time, we are using Kyoko's bruise as the focal point for this stage as well. For the entire shoot, there will be no physical contact between the two of you whatsoever, and no eye contact for part of the shoot to heighten the tension. This shoot will be freestyle except for the first and last shot, plus the instructions I just gave you. Understood?"

Kyoko and Ren nodded, saying in unison, "Yes, Director Takumi."

Ren's eyes closed for a moment, as his mouth turned slightly downward into a thoughtful frown. 'Those instructions remind me of the acting test I did for Dark Moon, only this time, "Mizuki" really is Kyoko…'

Takumi gestured for Kyoko to come closer, positioning her directly in front of Ren, who still had his eyes closed. "Kyoko, keep in mind what I told you earlier. If you blush the way you did just now in the photo soot, it'll completely ruin the mood. It's okay if your cheeks are a little pink; actually, I think I'd prefer that they were when you two face each other, but no turning red. Are we clear?" Takumi asked.

Ren opened his eyes to find a sight that captured his attention completely, rendering him practically oblivious to Kyoko and Takumi's whispers.

Kyoko nodded in response to Takumi's instructions. "Yes, Director Takumi." 'I'll do my best. I won't ruin this for Director Takumi and Tsuruga san, especially Tsuruga san…' Moving to turn back around to face Ren, Takumi stopped her by lightly grabbing her shoulder. "Director Takumi?" Kyoko whispered in confusion.

"Shh. Don't turn around just yet, I'm enjoying the view." Takumi whispered back, a wicked grin hidden from view by Kyoko's hair, which was left loose except for a few dark clips stylishly pulling her hair back out of her face. "It's not a sight you get to see very often, after all."

Kyoko bristled with indignation. A few grudge Kyokos appeared, about to rip Takumi away from her, when she noticed that Takumi wasn't looking at her, but rather, behind her. Calming down a bit, Kyoko asked softly, "What do you mean?"

An unholy light gleamed in Takumi's eyes as he shifted his attention back to Kyoko. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Kyoko nodded slowly, aware of a light, prickly sensation that kept running over her back.

"Then follow my instructions." Takumi's eyes shifted back towards his prey. "Turn your head slowly to the side, good, stop. Look at me for a moment. Don't move your head, just your eyes. Wait…" Takumi's eyes narrowed as he watched his prey carefully. "Now, look behind you."

Kyoko's eyes widened at the sight before her. 'T-Tsuruga san?!' "Director Takumi!" Kyoko whispered furiously. "What's going on?! Why is T-Tsuruga san-?"

"Staring at you?" Takumi replied in amusement.

Kyoko nodded, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Oh, I just felt like helping you pay Tsuruga san back for earlier, Kyoko." Takumi answered, taking extreme pleasure in the scene playing out before him.

Kyoko shook her head, turning back towards Takumi. "I don't understand."

Takumi's eyes grew heavy-lidded as he scanned Kyoko's face. "Well then, shall I do a demonstration?"

Kyoko hesitated for a moment, not liking the look on Takumi's face. 'I want to know why, even if I do have to stand a high level of discomfort!' Making up her mind, Kyoko whispered firmly, "Yes."

Takumi's smile turned predatory, as he slowly slid his fingers down the middle of Kyoko's back, causing Kyoko to squeak faintly. "Now do you understand?" Seeing Kyoko stare blankly back at him, Takumi sighed. "It's the same view, isn't it?" Takumi whispered. Putting his mouth close to Kyoko's ear, Takumi glanced over at Ren, who had an extremely frightening look in his eyes. "Actually, I think he got to see more than you did when he was changing."

Kyoko's mouth gaped open in shock, backing away from Takumi in horror, as it finally clicked in her hopelessly dense brain. 'The same view?!' Kyoko's face burned with anger. 'It's not the same at all!' Taking another step backwards, Kyoko bumped into Ren, who put his hand in the middle of her back to steady her,

"Mogami san?" Ren called softly, his voice making the little grudge Kyokos go haywire in ecstasy, before passing out from the sheer intensity of Ren's anger.

Kyoko mentally screamed in fright, knowing exactly which terrifying smile was waiting for her if she turned around right now. Feeling like she was being led to her execution, Kyoko nonetheless decided to turn to face Ren. "Y-Yes, T-T-Tsuruga s-san?" Kyoko stammered violently, inwardly cowering from the blinding sparkliness of Ren's greatest gentlemanly smile. 'Oh god, he's furious!'

If anything, Ren's smile grew even brighter as he asked, "Why did you let Director Takumi harass you just now? Hmm?" His hand tensed ever so slightly, putting a light pressure on the small of her back.

Kyoko looked away from Ren, feeling like she was being slowly roasted, boiled, and cooked over the open fire that was Ren's rage. "Well…"

"Answer me, Mogami san…" Ren said quietly, when a sudden insight lit up Ren's darkened eyes. "or does this have something to do with what you weren't willing to tell me earlier?"

Kyoko stiffened in surprise, unable to avoid Ren's piercing gaze any longer. "I'm right, aren't I?" Ren asked softly. Kyoko bit her lip and nodded guiltily, wanting desperately to look away from Ren's disappointed expression. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san."

"That's enough of that for now." Takumi ordered, bringing his hand down lightly on Ren's shoulder. "We need to get started. Just for the record though, it wasn't harassment, it was a demonstration, that's all."

Seeing Ren's attention move from her to Takumi, Kyoko took the chance to slip away from the two men, her hand unconsciously touching the small of her back, almost feeling as though her skin missed the warmth of Ren's hand.

Deciding to focus on Takumi for now, Ren's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "A demonstration?"

Takumi grinned, a chill running through Ren's body in response. "Yes, for the both of you. In your case, that demonstration was for you to understand the frustration that needs to be hidden just underneath the surface of the main theme for stage 7: sadness."

Ren shook his head slowly in confusion, his eyes unwillingly following Kyoko's bare back as she walked onto the set. "I don't understand." 'What I felt was anger at that time, not frustration.'

Takumi's grip on Ren's shoulder tightened. "You will soon enough. After all, for this stage, all I can say is, 'Look, but don't touch'." Leaving Ren to stare at him, an unreadable look on his face, Takumi walked away laughing.

A/N: Yes, sparkliness is a real word, I looked it up on , and it was there as an actual entry. ^^ Is that awesome, or what? haha.


	36. Chapter 36

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Okay, first things first, I apologize for taking so long to update. I was extremely busy with school, well, I still am, but I will try not to have such a long interval between chapters again. Four months really is too long, it might make me go off track if I'm not too careful... Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, I was stuck for a while, but it turned out pretty well.

Since there's been a bit of confusion, I'll state this in the beginning, the first flashback comes from the scene between Ren and Kyoko right before Ren did his acting acting test as Katsuki.

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, put my fanfic on their favorites and story alerts. I really do appreciate it! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I do own Takumi though, haha.

Chapter 36

"Begin."

Ren and Kyoko froze, an icy tension pervading the set as they stared at each other, a mixture of confusion and anguish reflected in their eyes.

Standing in front of the dark blue sofa, Ren and Kyoko almost seemed to blend into the background because of the dark coloring of their clothes. At the same time though, those same colors stood out against the cream colored walls of the set.

As if the ice was broken, if only for a moment, both models quickly shifted their gaze away from each other, with Ren looking down in shame, and Kyoko turning her body away from Ren, her body language screaming out 'I can't look at you right now. I don't want to look at you right now!'

Ren's eyes shifted away from the ground, towards the wall opposite of Kyoko. A tiny spark of surprise shined in his eyes, as if he had just rediscovered the mirror on the wall, the mirror that reflected the air of depression that had enveloped Kyoko, who had turned her back on him. 'I wonder if she's remembering how Mizuki reacted during the acting test…'

Slowly walking towards the mirror, Ren stopped just before his figure would obscure Kyoko's reflection in the glass. Lightly touching the mahogany frame of the mirror, Ren sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment, his body slightly bent over.

Acting as if Ren's sigh made her come alive, Kyoko slowly raised her head and looked over her shoulder, seeing for the first time the air of sadness and regret surrounding Ren. Kyoko felt her limbs grow heavy, as she struggled to come to terms with seeing Ren acting so forlorn.

Clasping her hands together over her diaphragm, Kyoko shivered lightly, biting her lip in indecision. As if unable to bear the sight before her any longer, Kyoko closed her eyes and turned her head sharply to the side, causing the pins in her hair to gleam dully in the warm light emanating from the Tiffany lamp next to her. Her fingers slowly untwined before she crossed her arms, grabbing her elbows to bring them closer to her body for warmth.

Ren opened his eyes, examining Kyoko closely in the mirror with heavy-lidded eyes, before shoving himself off the wall. 'No, not like Mizuki…' Ren mentally shook his head. 'I've seen this somewhere before though… where was it?'

Ren continued to mull over the question in his mind as the shoot continued on. It wasn't until the end of the photo shoot when Ren stood directly behind Kyoko's shivering form, that he finally remembered. Understanding lit his eyes for a moment, before fading as his eyes grew dark once more sorrow and frustration. 'So this is what Director Takumi meant…' Ren thought absentmindedly, as he slowly reached out his hand, almost touching Kyoko's back, before pulling his hand away reluctantly, not allowing himself to rest his fingers on the wide expanse of pale white skin laid out before him. His frustration seemed to almost overtake his sadness for a moment as his hand unconsciously formed a fist, before being forcibly relaxed again.

"Okay, we're done!" Takumi called. "Take a ten minute break, then go change for the final stage."

Ren relaxed, letting most of the tension flow out of him. 'She wasn't acting with Mizuki in mind, Kyoko was just being herself…'

Ren stared wide-eyed at Kyoko's fiercely dark expression as she sat on a prop that looked like a tiny island, her knees pulled up to her chest. "Wha… what… are you doing… all alone here?" He asked haltingly.

"I'm enjoying my solitude." Kyoko answered sullenly. "Can't you tell by watching me?" Her mouth pursed lightly into a childish pout before she turned her back on Ren, still curled up in the fetal position. Her back seemed to give off an aura that shut everyone out, leaving her isolated on her little deserted island.

Ren paused for a moment, before moving closer. "Are you… angry about something?" Ren asked quietly.

"I'm not angry!" Kyoko bit out.

'_You are.' Ren thought, resting his hand against his hip._

"_I won't get angry about something like this! I'm used to it!" Kyoko retorted, before continuing on in a sadder tone, "Everyone knew about it… but I didn't. It's always been that way."_

_Ren's eyes narrowed as he realized what Kyoko was referring to. "…Do you… mean… about today?"_

_Kyoko peeked over her shoulder, the eye that was visible was wide open, glaring at Ren in suspicion. "Tsuruga san… you knew… that I didn't know about it?"_

"_Um… well… sort of… yeah." Ren answered sheepishly. 'I thought you'd say something like "Please do your best with your acting test," if you knew about it. Knowing you…'_

_Silence reigned after Ren's little confession, with Ren staring at Kyoko's back, trying to find a way to break the ice that had suddenly formed between them._

_Deciding to take action, Ren sat on the prop, shortening the distance between them. 'I… didn't tell you, but it wasn't to be mean." Ren stated quietly._

_Kyoko remained silent for a moment, taking in Ren's words. "I understand… I'm not angry…" Kyoko said softly. "But… I was the last person to be with Tsuruga san… yet I didn't know something this serious…was happening to you. I was the only one who didn't know about it," Kyoko hugged her arms, her head dropping slightly, with her hair parting to reveal the back of her neck. "… and I feel miserable." She finished, her voice filled with sadness, as if she were about to cry…_

'Although it's not exactly the same, there's definitely a resemblance between then and her acting just now.' Ren gave Kyoko a tiny smile, which went unnoticed by the still slightly distraught female, before frowning after taking another look at Kyoko's expression. "Mogami san, what's wrong?"

Kyoko stared at Ren in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Ren's mouth turned downward in concern. "You look like you're about to cry…"

Kyoko's eyes widened, realizing that her vision was indeed a little blurry. Quickly wiping the tears out of her eyes, Kyoko smiled brightly. "I guess I got a bit too caught up in feeling sad. I just kept thinking that I don't want to Tsuruga san to hate me, or worse, feel sad because of me…" Kyoko explained, her eyes becoming watery once again.

Ren's face turned expressionless as he watched Kyoko continuously rub her eyes to try to wipe her tears away. 'What… what do you expect me to do after hearing something like that?!'

Acting as an observer to the little scene that was unfolding right in front of him, Takumi did his best to hold back his laughter after seeing Ren turn to stone upon hearing Kyoko's heartfelt "confession."

Catching sight of Takumi's expression out of the corner of his eye, Ren's eyes narrowed slightly in displeasure. "Mogami san, I think it'd be best to wash off any make-up you have on, so it doesn't get into your eyes." Ren said abruptly, taking Kyoko to a more private setting.

Takumi's mouth twitched in amusement at Ren's attempt at keeping Kyoko to himself. 'Well, I don't really care how lovey-dovey they get after this, as long as I get to capture it on film later.' Takumi shrugged, turning back to his camera.

* * *

Kyoko washed off the last of her make-up before gently patting her face dry. Letting out a depressed sigh, Kyoko looked at her now dry eyes in the mirror.

"_Mogami san, I need to talk to you." Ren said quietly, making sure that no one could hear them._

_Kyoko stiffened, unable to think, as she paused outside her dressing room door._

"_It doesn't have to be right now, but, we do need to talk sometime today." Ren finished, watching Kyoko closely._

_Kyoko nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on the door in front of her. "Alright, Tsuruga san." She waited until she heard Ren's door close before entering her own dressing room, letting out a big sigh as she headed towards the sink_

Kyoko bit her lip as anxiety swept over her. 'I can't put this off forever. I have to apologize to Tsuruga san for looking in on him while he was changing.' Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, doing her best not to remember what she had seen. 'I was okay for the last stage since I didn't have to look at Tsuruga san…' Her eyes flew open in realization. 'I can't act out the next stage, not if I leave things as they are now.' Her cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment. 'E-even if it's embarrassing, I have to go apologize to Tsuruga san!'

Building up her determination, Kyoko pulled open the door just as a staff member was about to knock, startling the poor girl quite a bit. "K-Kyoko san, Director Takumi said to tell you and Tsuruga san that there is going to be a delay before starting the final stage."

Kyoko nodded slowly in understanding. "Is there something wrong?"

The girl shook her head, regaining her composure. "No, Director Takumi just said he was going to go over the film of the seventh stage before deciding if he needs to modify the instructions he'll give you for the final stage. I will inform you when he's almost finished so you can get ready."

Kyoko smiled, "Alright then, thank you for telling me… Have you already told Tsuruga san this information?" she asked curiously.

The girl once again shook her head. "No, I have not."

Kyoko's eyes brightened. "Then I can tell him for you, if you don't mind."

The girl smiled. "Thank you for offering, but it would be unprofessional of me to defer my job to someone else." 'Like I'd ever give up a chance to talk to someone as handsome as Tsuruga Ren!'

"Of course, I didn't mean to take away your job." Kyoko said quickly. "I'm sorry."

"No harm done. Well then, if you'll excuse me…" The girl bowed before turning around to knock on Ren's door. 'I love this job…'

Kyoko stepped back inside the dressing room, closing the door before Ren could spot her. 'Not yet. Not yet. Not yet…' Her mind ran around in circles as she vaguely heard Ren and the female staff member talking outside.

"Thank you for telling me." Ren said graciously, smiling at the staff member.

The girl blushed profusely. "Y-you're welcome. I-I'll be going now."

Ren watched as the girl ran off, shaking his head in amusement at the sight. About to go back inside, Ren froze as Kyoko quickly stepped outside, leaning against the door for support. "Um, Tsuruga san, since we have time to s-spare, if you don't mind, c-could we talk n-now?" Kyoko stammered, her face pink with embarrassment.

Ren blinked once in surprise. "Of course, come in." Ren ushered Kyoko into his dressing room, closing the door behind him.

A/N: Just to clarify, if anyone wants to know the exact pages, the first flashback occurred in volume 12, chapter 72, pg. 15-19. (Actually, page 20 is one of the best reactions we get out of Ren in all of Skip Beat, in my opinion, but I decided to omit it from the flashback for various reasons, haha.) I used the official Viz Media translation since it worked best, but yeah, please tell me how I did on that scene. That was the probably the hardest scene to write out of the entire chapter for me, so I would appreciate some feedback on it. Thank you in advance, haha.

I thank everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I hope you have a nice day. ^^


	37. Chapter 37

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, don't really have much to say this time, so... yeah... Enjoy, haha.

As always, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and put this story on their story alerts, thank you so much! ^^

Dedication: To momoirosagichan, for helping me with the last portion of this chapter. I would not have been able to feel happy about this chapter without your feedback. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not not own Skip Beat! or any of its character, I do own Takumi though, haha.

Chapter 37

"Mogami san…"

"Y-yes?" Kyoko squeaked, looking at a point to the right of Ren's face, unable to look at him head on.

Ren sighed, taking a step closer to Kyoko. "About yesterday, what happened really wasn't your fault. It happened because of my…" He let out a tiny frustrated groan, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.

Kyoko opened her mouth to protest, but remained silent, remembering Takumi's words from earlier. 'If Tsuruga san truly thinks that it's his fault, then it's only fair that I ask him why he feels that way…' Taking a deep breath, Kyoko asked softly, "Why?"

Ren blinked once in confusion. "Mogami san?"

"Why do you think what happened is your fault, Tsuruga san?" Kyoko elaborated.

Ren turned away from Kyoko, trying to find the right way to explain his feelings to the girl standing next to him. "Well… I, uh, didn't like how you treated Sasaki san." He murmured, so quietly that Kyoko couldn't completely make out what he said.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsuruga san, but I couldn't quite hear what you said." Kyoko stammered.

"Mogami san, how long have you been working at L.M.E.?" Ren asked suddenly, turning back around to face her, though still not willing to make eye contact.

"Eh? About a year," Kyoko answered, bewildered by the seemingly random question.

"So you've been my kouhai for a year."

Kyoko smiled, feeling a bit of pride at hearing Ren refer to her as his kouhai. "It has been an honor to have Tsuruga san as my senpai for so long."

"Yet you were treating someone you had only known for a few hours with more warmth than someone who's been your senpai for a year." Ren scoffed. "You even went so far as to call him 'Sasaki onii-san'."

Kyoko remembered the waves of anger she had felt coming from Ren at various times throughout the day yesterday. "Tsuruga san… by any chance, was this why you were angry at me yesterday?' Kyoko asked cautiously.

Ren finally looked Kyoko in the eye, nodding tersely. "You'd only known him for a day, and it already seemed like you valued his company and advice over mine. I was… careless at that time because I was… upset over your behavior with Sasaki san. I'm truly sorry, Mogami san."

Kyoko shook her head. "I should apologize as well. Tsuruga san is the best senpai a kouhai could ever wish to have. I didn't mean to make you feel otherwise, and for that, I'm sorry. Kyoko bowed deeply.

"Then why was it that you were calling him 'Sasaki onii-san' in such a familiar way yesterday?' Ren shot out, irritation starting to build up inside him despite his best effort to stay calm.

Kyoko blushed lightly, irritating Ren even further. "Well, um, please don't tell Sasaki- onii-san, I mean, Sasaki san this, but he kind of gives off a motherly aura, so it just feels natural to call him 'onii-san'." Kyoko explained softly.

"Motherly aura?" Ren repeated, feeling slightly incredulous at Kyoko's answer.

Kyoko nodded. "I still remember how one of the first things Sasaki san did when he was introduced to us was fix my hair," Kyoko explained. "Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that it feels like he likes to take care of people." Taking a deep breath, Kyoko continued on. "Tsuruga san is someone I look up to as a mentor, and a level of acting I aspire to. It has been an honor working with you these past few days, Tsuruga san." Kyoko bowed deeply once more to show her respect.

Ren covered his mouth to try to stifle his laughter. "So that's what it was. I understand now, Kyoko."

"Eh?" Kyoko's eyes widened at Ren's use of her first name.

"You did give me permission to call you by your first name before, or is that not valid anymore, Kyoko?" Ren asked, amused by Kyoko's reaction.

Kyoko hesitated, before nodding. "It's still valid." She whispered.

Ren smiled. "Good."

Kyoko took a deep breath. 'I have to apologize now.' "I understand now why Tsuruga san thinks yesterday was not my fault, but even if it wasn't my fault, I still believe I should have been more careful."

Ren stayed silent for a while, before slowly nodding. "Alright."

"I do still need to apologize for something else though." Kyoko said quickly, averting her gaze.

Ren's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Does this have to do with what you wouldn't tell me earlier?"

Kyoko nodded guiltily, a red blush quickly spreading across her face. "Y-yes…"

Ren cocked an eyebrow expectantly. "So what did you do?"

Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut. "I accidentally saw you changing earlier! I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san!" Kyoko blurted out, repeatedly bowing in embarrassment before standing up straight. Kyoko stared at the ground in embarrassment as even the tips of her ears turned red.

Ren stayed silent for a moment, mulling over what Kyoko had just said, before asking quietly, "How much did you see?"

"Eh?" Kyoko raised her head only to find Ren look directly at her, his face completely expressionless.

Ren sighed, turning his head away to look in the mirror. "How much did you see?" He repeated patiently.

Kyoko's face burned even brighter. Straightening her spine, Kyoko looked back down at her feet. "Just when Tsuruga san was t-taking off his s-shirt."

Ren relaxed imperceptibly. "When did this happen?"

Kyoko looked up at Ren, fidgeting nervously. Right before lunch. I w-went to go call you to come eat. Yashiro san offered to call you for me. He opened the door, and you were…" Kyoko trailed off, not wanting to relive the scene in her head any longer.

'Ah, that time, so that was her voice calling me…' Ren thought absent-mindedly. "Don't worry about it, I was only changing my shirt. Besides, it was Yashiro san that opened the door, right?"

Kyoko nodded slowly, watching Ren carefully.

"Then you have nothing to feel bad about." Ren stated simply. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you."

Kyoko bit her lip shyly, shaking her head. "Tsuruga san didn't even know I was there, so there's no need to apologize."

Ren smiled. "Okay. Anything else?"

Kyoko tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Is there anything else bothering you, Kyoko?" Ren elaborated, emphasizing Kyoko's name.

Kyoko thought for a moment, then slowly asked, "Is it still okay to wear the dress you gave me to the party on Saturday?' She asked timidly.

Ren's smile widened, bathing Kyoko in a gentle warmth that started killing off grudge Kyokos left and right. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Kyoko ran her hand down her outfit before nodding in satisfaction. Leaving her dressing room, she headed towards where Ren and Takumi were waiting.

Watching Kyoko walk over to them, Takumi asked, "So, did you two finally kiss and make up?"

Ren stared at Takumi with a mixture of confusion and anger. "Excuse me?"

Takumi looked at Ren in mock surprise. "You didn't?" Studying Kyoko's expression for a moment, before turning his gaze back on Ren, Takumi's eyes narrowed. "Ah, you made up, but no kiss." Takumi smirked mischievously. "That's no fun! We'll have to fix that, won't we?'

Ren stayed silent, turning his gaze away from Takumi onto Kyoko in an attempt to suppress his reaction to Takumi's taunting.

Takumi donned a serious expression as Kyoko drew closer. 'Well, I expected this anyways. Seems like I gave them enough time earlier. Well then, I wonder how far I'll need to go to convince Kyoko chan…' Mentally snickering as Ren and Kyoko exchanged greetings, Takumi's eyes lit up in anticipation. 'This should be interesting…'

A/N: Well, the last stage will finally be starting next chapter, so that should be fun. ^^ I know I'll definitely writing it, haha.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I really appreciate it. I hope you all have a very nice day. ^^


	38. Chapter 38

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, I'm sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter, but I'm glad I was able to finish this by the end of the week, haha.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts, it always makes me very happy that people enjoy what I write, haha.

Dedication: To everyone who helped me work out the kinks in this chapter. Thank you so much! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I only own Takumi, haha.

Chapter 38

Kyoko walked towards the two men waiting for her, feeling herself grow wary as she noted the mischievous grin that flashed over Takumi's face.

Catching sight of the silver chain around Ren's left wrist, Kyoko's fingers unconsciously sought out the silver chain necklace around her own neck, playing with it for a moment before she noticed both men staring at her. Feeling embarrassed, Kyoko quickly put her hands behind her back, glancing at Ren's bracelet one last time as she bowed her head shyly.

Following Kyoko's gaze, Ren held up his wrist, giving Kyoko a gentle smile. "We match."

Caught off-guard, Kyoko blushed fiercely, nodding her head stiffly.

Ren stepped closer to Kyoko, lightly touching her cheek. "Is something wrong, Kyoko? Your face is all red."

Kyoko's eyes widened as her face burned even brighter. Shaking her head violently, Kyoko forced herself to smile. "No, nothing's wrong." 'I'm happy that Tsuruga san isn't mad at me anymore, but I can't handle that heavenly smile at close range!' Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try and calm down. 'I can't back away or else I'll hurt Tsuruga san's feelings again. Just bear with it for now.' Slowly opening her eyes, Kyoko saw Ren standing over her, a slightly concerned expression on his face.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kyoko?" Ren asked, not really making sense of Kyoko's odd behavior.

"I'm fine, Tsuruga san, really." Kyoko said quietly, relieved that Ren was no longer smiling that particular smile at her anymore.

Ren sighed lightly, his smile returning full-force. "Good, I'm glad."

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror, before squeezing tightly shut once more. 'It's no good! I can't take this much longer. I feel like I'm melting!'

So focused were the two models on their little interaction, neither noticed the mini photo shoot they were participating in.

Gently setting his camera down on a nearby table, Takumi cleared his throat, gaining the attention of both models. "I think I better give you two the instructions for the next stage before Kyoko chan faints from embarrassment."

Ren's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Takumi crossed his arms and smiled in amusement. "Look at how close you're standing next to her. The poor girl can't even look at you!" 'It made for a damn good photo though.'

Ren looked over at Kyoko, who was clearly avoiding his gaze, and realized that there was practically no space in between them. His own cheeks turning a bit red, Ren deliberately stepped closer to Takumi, creating a safe distance between him and Kyoko.

Kyoko exhaled, not realizing until now that she had been holding her breath. 'I hope Tsuruga san doesn't misunderstand again.'

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Kyoko." Ren said softly, carefully studying Kyoko's expression to gauge her reaction.

Kyoko blinked in surprise. "It's fine. I was just caught off-guard, that's all. I-I don't mind standing close to Tsuruga san." 'As long as he doesn't aim that particular smile at me.'

Both Ren and Takumi stared Kyoko incredulously for a moment, before Ren's expression grew thoughtful. 'She doesn't even realize the meaning behind what she just said, does she?'

The corners of his mouth curving up slightly, Ren said slowly, "I understand, I'll try not to catch you off-guard again."

Takumi cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Done now?"

Ren and Kyoko gave Takumi a tiny nod, glancing at each other once more before turning to face Takumi.

Takumi's expression turned serious, though his eyes still showed a hint of laughter. "As you both know, the last stage is centered around comfort and reconciliation. Over the course of this photo shoot, both of you have 'hurt' each other both physically and mentally. A-ko with her bruised wrist, and B-kun being slapped on the cheek, both of you have something to apologize for and something to forgive." 'It's amazing how similar the photo shoot's storyline is to their lives in the past few days. Well, it gave me some great material to work with, so lucky me.' Takumi paused for a moment, watching Kyoko and Ren carefully. Making sure neither of the two models were too uncomfortable with what he had just said, Takumi continued. "Since the injury A-ko caused was in retaliation to B-kun's treatment of her, we'll start the photo shoot with B-kun asking for forgiveness."

Takumi's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted his gaze over towards Ren. "Listen well, as this is one of two scenes that I will not compromise on. If you screw up even a little, I'll make you redo it until it's so perfect, it'll make anyone who's watching you two pose on-set cry on the spot, got it?"

Ren nodded firmly. "Understood."

Kyoko bit her lip nervously, but nonetheless followed Ren's lead. "Understood."

Takumi smiled in satisfaction. "Good. For the first scene, to represent B-kun's regret and wish for reconciliation, B-kun will kneel down on one knee and kiss the inside of Kyoko chan's right wrist. Then, raising his head, B-kun looks deeply into A-ko's eyes as he slowly stands up, coming face-to-face with A-ko. A-ko delicately bites her lip in indecision, before pushing B-kun away, unable to forgive him so soon. B-kun stumbles backwards, dropping down onto the sofa in despair and disappointment."

Takumi took a deep break, a little in need of air after becoming a bit too engrossed in the explanation, before continuing on. "Between the first and second scene, I want you two to really give off the impression that you miss the closeness you had earlier, with B-kun slowly getting A-ko to warm up to him until she finally forgives him, not wanting to be apart from him any longer. This transitions into the beginning of the second scene."

Takumi's eyes shifted towards Kyoko, noting the small, fidgety movements she had been making since he had started explaining the first scene. 'Nervous, isn't she? She should be more used to these kinds of instructions by now…'

"For the second scene, I want you two on the opposite side of the set, with Ren's back almost touching the wall. To show A-ko's forgiveness of B-kun, and her acceptance of B-kun's earlier plea for reconciliation, A-ko will kiss B-kun in the same spot where she had slapped him in stage 6. After finally making up, both smile bittersweetly, with a mixture of relief and gentleness in their eyes. B-kun wraps his arms around A-ko, holding her tightly. A-ko's arms slowly go around B-kun's back, with A-ko turning her head towards the camera, ending the shoot." Takumi finished, inwardly smiling at the blush that had appeared on Kyoko's face. "Well, since this is the ending scene, afterwards, you're free to improvise for a few minutes if you'd like. Any questions?"

Kyoko's face felt like it had caught on fire when Takumi explained what they had to do for the second scene. 'I h-have to k-kiss Tsuruga san? I h-have to-' "K-kiss Tsuruga san?" Kyoko blurted out in a horrified tone, gaining the immediate attention of both men. Kyoko slapped one hand over her mouth and stared at the ground in embarrassment.

Takumi mentally snickered in amusement, only allowing a small smile to curve his lips. "Yes, Kyoko chan, you didn't misunderstand me. Would you like me to say it again?" The smile unconsciously grew slightly smug.

Kyoko shook her head violently. Slowly taking her hand away from her mouth, Kyoko whispered quietly, "No, thank you." Looking over at Ren, her eyes widened as she noticed something she had never really paid attention to before.

Ren caught the strange look Kyoko was giving him in confusion, as it was embarrassment, but something akin to realization mixed with worry. "Kyoko, what is it?"

"I can't reach." Kyoko said softly, overcome with despair.

Takumi's eyes grew interested. "What do you mean by that, Kyoko chan?" Takumi asked curiously.

Kyoko stepped closer to Ren until there were standing side by side. Standing up on her toes, Kyoko gestured towards Ren's face. "I can't reach." Dropping back down, Kyoko moved a few feet away from Ren, before bowing to both men. "I'm sorry I'm too short."

Both men burst out laughing, with Ren almost bent over double, and Takumi on the verge of tears.

Kyoko immediately straightened her back, staring at the sight before her with wide eyes. Completely lost, she stood there silently until both of them had calmed down.

Stifling his laughter, Takumi commented in a slightly choked voice, "So I take it that you're not sure how to model for that particular pose?"

Kyoko nodded, feeling slightly ashamed that she had to ask for help on such a scene. "Yes."

"Well then, would you like me to give you a demonstration?" Takumi asked, unable to hide the amusement he felt over the entire situation.

Kyoko hesitated, growing suspicious of Takumi's intentions. "A demonstration?"

Takumi smiled. "I technically gave Tsuruga san a demonstration for a particular part of his role in the first scene early today, so it would only be fair if I gave you a demonstration as well, Kyoko chan."

Kyoko frowned lightly. 'When did he give Tsuruga san a demonstration?'

Takumi swiftly reached out and grabbed Kyoko's injured wrist, causing Kyoko to hiss from the pain the bruise caused her. "I'm sorry, did that hurt? I thought you said your wrist didn't hurt anymore, Kyoko. If the look on your face is anything to go by Kyoko, I'd say it still hurts quite a bit, right?"

_Kyoko nodded shamefully, still in pain, as Takumi hadn't let go of her wrist yet. "It doesn't hurt as long as nothing touches it."_

_Takumi nodded seriously, his expression making him seem to be deep in thought._

_Lifting Kyoko's wrist up, Takumi bent down and pressed a light kiss on the darkest part of the bruise before finally letting go of Kyoko's wrist, eliciting a deep blush from Kyoko, and a split second deadly glare from Ren…_

Kyoko nodded to herself. 'That has to be it. But I'm surprised that Director Takumi did a demonstration for Tsuruga san, even while he was scolding me at the same time. I guess veterans really do things more efficiently.' Remembering Ren's dark expression, Kyoko's mouth turned downward. 'I don't think Tsuruga san realized that Director Takumi was doing a demonstration either though…'

Takumi's eyes gleamed with laughter. "Alright then, Tsuruga san, come here for a moment."

Ren froze for a split second, before closing the distance between them. 'I hope Kyoko won't think anything strange again like last time. The last thing I want is for her to think I'm gay.'

"Kyoko chan." Takumi called, noting the absentminded look on Kyoko's face.

Kyoko eyes snapped up to see Takumi and Ren facing each other, though both men's eyes were on her at the moment. "Yes?"

"We're doing this for you, so pay attention." Takumi said firmly, before turning back towards Ren. "Since you will be on the left from camera's point of view, use your right hand to grab Tsuruga san's neck and pull him down towards you. I still want you to go on your toes though, otherwise the angle won't be as soft." Takumi smiled ruefully, pausing for a moment. "Don't try to stretch so much that you feel off-balance, but enough so that it's noticeable, and Tsuruga san won't have to bend down too much."

Kyoko nodded, completely focused on the scene in front of her.

Satisfied that Kyoko understood, Takumi continued, "Make sure to tilt your head so that it doesn't block the camera." As Takumi drew closer to Ren's face, he felt a growing repulsion to what he was about to do. 'I really don't want to do this.'

Kyoko's eyes widened in horror and embarrassment. "Uh, thank you, Director Takumi, I understand now."

Takumi heaved a mental sigh of relief, before turning to face Kyoko. "Oh, really?"

Kyoko nodded furiously. 'Somehow, I get the feeling that Tsuruga san would not be very happy with me if I let Director Takumi do… that to him because of my incompetence.' "Yes, thank you for the demonstration." Kyoko bowed in respect to both Takumi and Ren. "I truly appreciate it."

Takumi donned a calculating smile. "Well then, if you're confident enough to cut the demonstration short, than show me. We'll have a little rehearsal."

Kyoko blinked twice. "N-now?"

"Yes, now." Takumi said firmly. "Show me you can do it off-camera so I can see for myself whether you really know how to do it." Glancing at Ren, who had long since stopped showing any emotion, Takumi's eyes narrowed. "Of course, if you fail, I'll have you redo the whole thing as many times as needed until I'm satisfied."

Kyoko's face grew pale, before turning bright red. "Understood, I'll do my best."

A/N: I've been wanting to write this scene for so long... Haha, well, it's still not completed yet. ^^ It will be in either Chapter 39 or 40.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I really appreciate it! I hope all of you will have a very nice day, haha.


	39. Chapter 39

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I kind of wanted this scene to stand alone, lest it be swallowed by the monstrosity that is stage 7, haha. ^^ I thank everyone who took the time to read, review and put this fanfic on their favorites and story alerts list, I truly do appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters. I do own Takumi though, haven't gotten him copyrighted, but he's still mine, lol. ^^

Dedication: This one's for momoirosagichan, for pushing me to write more for Ren's Birthday. Without her teasing me about how I owe her a chapter for each new story she writes, I probably would not have finished this before the middle of October. Yes, that is just how lazy I've become, haha. ^^

So, cheers to momo!

Chapter 39

Kyoko stepped forward, every step that took her closer to Ren made her feel like her heart was about to jump right out of her chest. Finally face-to-face with a still expressionless Ren, Kyoko froze. 'If I do this wrong, how many times will I have to k-kiss Tsuruga-san before Director Takumi is satisfied…?' Kyoko turned beet red at the thought.

"Kyoko-chan!" Takumi called. "No blushing allowed for this scene!"

Kyoko jumped slightly at the sound of Takumi's voice. Nodding her heading shakily, Kyoko closed her eyes to regain her composure.

Ren quietly observed Kyoko's face as she silently chanted, "Calm down, calm down, relax…"

A sudden movement in Takumi's direction caught Ren's eye. Shifting his gaze over to where Takumi was standing, Ren's eyes narrowed as he saw Takumi mouth the words "Don't screw this up on purpose. She's already going to have to kiss you at least twice. It's not nice to be greedy."

Takumi laughed silently at the indignant expression that flashed across Ren's face. 'I know he wouldn't do it on purpose, but still, it would be just too cruel to Kyoko-chan if she tried her best to get it right, and he just froze. Well, at least this way he'll be more alert.' Takumi sighed. 'As much as I'd like to see him freeze, we're eating up time as it is. Speaking of eating up time…' "Kyoko-chan, any day now!" Takumi called.

Kyoko's eyes snapped open. Quickly turning to face Takumi, Kyoko bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for the delay. I'll begin immediately."

Ren stared at Kyoko's exposed neck, so close to his hand, her pale skin appearing even paler against the dull silver chain around her neck. 'Too close.'

Kyoko turned back around to face Ren, her blush finally gone. 'I can't waste anymore time.'

"Ready?" Takumi called.

Kyoko nodded emphatically. "Yes."

Takumi smiled. "Okay then, start."

Kyoko took a deep breath and slowly went up on her toes, sliding her hand around Ren's neck at the same time. Gently pulling Ren's head down, Kyoko noticed a slightly surprised but pleased expression on Ren's face. Letting her eyes grow heavy-lidded, Kyoko tilted her head slightly just as her lips were about to make contact with Ren's face.

"Stop. Stay in that position."

Kyoko froze, a hairsbreadth away from making contact. They were so close together that she could feel Ren's breath against her neck. Fighting off a blush, Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut. 'This is so embarrassing!'

Takumi walked over to the models, inwardly laughing at the current expression on Kyoko's face. "You have the right idea Kyoko-chan, but you need to tilt your head more so that the camera can see the kiss. Otherwise, your head blocks everything."

Kyoko's hand tightened around Ren's neck as she tilted her head further, accidentally causing her mouth to brush against his cheek. "Like this?"

Takumi nodded in satisfaction, not missing the brief contact that had occurred between the two models. "That's about right. Do it again to make sure." 'Tsuruga-san, you're not allowed to blush either…'

Kyoko quickly let go of Ren, almost falling over in her haste to put even a centimeter more space between them. "Alright."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at Kyoko's antics. 'She really knows how to hurt a guy's feelings, doesn't she?' "Go."

Just as Kyoko's hand touched Ren's neck, Ren took a step back, pulling Kyoko along with him in the process.

'Oi oi, don't you dare start acting shy on me now, Tsuruga-san.' "What are you doing, Tsuruga-san?" Takumi asked in an annoyed tone.

"Huh?" Ren blinked in surprised, looking down only to see himself tightly gripping Kyoko's hand. Letting go, Ren bowed in apology. "I'm sorry for the interruption. It won't happen again."

"Mind telling me why you stopped the scene in the first place?" Takumi retorted, clearly unhappy with Ren's actions.

"My mind wandered." Ren answered simply.

An understanding light gleamed in Takumi's eyes, restoring his good mood. "Ah, is that so. Next time, make sure that only happens after work is over. Understood?" 'What an amusing person this one is.'

Ren nodded firmly. "Yes, Director Takumi. 'That was… dangerous.'

"Okay then, start again." Takumi called.

This time, when Kyoko's hand slid around his neck, other than an almost unnoticeable shiver, Ren stayed still.

Kyoko breathed a sigh of relied as she tilted her head and softly kissed Ren on the cheek. 'It's over.'

"Good. Now we can start." Takumi declared, slightly disappointed that the rehearsal was over so soon.

Kyoko winced once she remembered that she had to do it once more, her heart filling with dread.

Takumi smiled in amusement. "Kyoko-chan, you can let go of Tsuruga-san now. We need to move to the set."

"O-oh, right." Kyoko bowed in apology. "Sorry for the delay."

Takumi shivered as he tried to hold back his laughter. "Um, Kyoko-chan, y-you still haven't l-let go of T-Tsuruga-san." 'It's no use. I can't take much more of this!'

"E-eh?" Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. Turning to look at Ren, she saw that her hand was indeed still holding on to Ren's neck. Finally letting go, Kyoko bowed repeatedly, extremely embarrassed by her behavior. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san!"

Takumi burst out laughing, holding his stomach as he bent over double, his whole body shaking violently from his fits of laughter.

Ignoring the director, Ren lightly grabbed Kyoko's shoulder, halting Kyoko's nonstop bowing. "It's fine, Kyoko. There's nothing to apologize for. But…" Ren slid his hand down Kyoko's arm to hold her hand. "If you want to hold on to me that much, I'd be happy to oblige you." Firmly securing Kyoko's hand in the crook of his elbow, Ren motioned towards the set. "Shall we go?"

Pulling a speechless Kyoko along with him, Ren left the laughing director to his own devices, idly wondering when they were actually going to start modeling for the final stage…

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I'm coming up on forty chapters, that's kinda scary, haha. ^^

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, you guys are awesome! Yes, you are. ^^

Oh, and about Takumi being contradictory earlier, I did it on purpose, haha. You didn't think he REALLY cared about Kyoko chan's feelings, did you? mwahahaha! ^^


	40. Chapter 40

Ren's Birthday

A/N: First off, I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. That being said, I actually didn't plan to finish it until summer when school's out. But, I couldn't resist posting something on pi day, haha. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and put this story on their story alerts. I really do appreciate it.

Dedication: To momoirosagichan who helped check for any OOC parts and firnlambe who subtly guilt-tripped me by asking about this chapter. Without those two, i don't think this chapter would even have been started yet, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its character, I only own Takumi and Sasaki, haha.

Chapter 40

Getting into position for scene one of the final stage, the air surrounding the set felt completely different from the light-hearted atmosphere that had surrounded the two models just moments before.

Standing face-to-face in front of the camera, there was a more casual feel to the clothes they wore this time, as if the choice of clothes themselves were trying to ease the tension between the two.

Even the colors of their clothes were complementary. The porcelain white dress Kyoko wore glowed softly in the gentle light emanating from the Tiffany lamp behind Ren, with the soft black tints outlining the edges and lines of the dress giving it a slightly whimsical appeal. Elbow length sleeves that were a soft pale gray, the color blending slowly into the white color of the collar of the dress, completed the dress's look. A silver chain necklace rested lightly on Kyoko's collarbone, the dull harsh gleam from the silver becoming the centerpiece of Kyoko's casual appearance.

Ren on the other hand, wore faded blackish-gray jeans, along with a white cotton t-shirt with no collar, matching the black and white theme of Kyoko's dress. Instead of gray however, a brown jacket with a front pocket on the left side fit snugly on Ren's body, with both a zipper and a double set of buttons lining the front making Ren seem even taller than normal. A silver chain bracelet decorated his left wrist, which, along with Kyoko's necklace, made a matching set. The soft colors of both sets of clothes made the couple appear more approachable than their expressions would seem to indicate.

Catching Takumi's signal out of the corner of their eyes, Ren immediately knelt in front of Kyoko, gently sliding his hand down her arm, the cold silver making contact with her bruised flesh as he turned her hand over, before bending his head to softly kiss the inside of Kyoko's injured wrist.

Kyoko felt a shiver run down her spine as Ren lifted his head, locking eyes with her as he slowly stood up, never letting go of his hold on Kyoko's hand.

Kyoko delicately bit her lip, doing her best to follow Takumi's instructions even while staring at Ren's puppy dog eyes that seemed to be begging for her forgiveness. Even though she knew Ren was acting, it took all of Kyoko's willpower to push Ren away, forcing him to let go of her hand. Kyoko's expression naturally showed the reluctance she felt towards what she was doing, before her hair covered her face as she hung her head, turning away from Ren.

Ren fell back onto the couch, disappointment etched into the lines of his face. Staring at Kyoko's back for a few more seconds, his eyes willing Kyoko to turn back and look at him, accept, him, forgive him one last time, Ren saw the shiver run down Kyoko's back from his gaze.

Forcing himself to hold back a faint smile, Ren's gaze ran over Kyoko's small frame one last time before hitting the floor. Ren let the tension in his neck disappear and dropped his head into his hands, letting out a sigh that seemed to chill the air around him.

Kyoko slowly turned her head to sneak a peek at Ren, whose head was still buried in his hands. On cue, almost as if Ren could still see her, Ren let out a tiny pitiful noise for Kyoko's ears only.

Drawn in against her will, Kyoko was just a hairsbreadth away from patting Ren on the head to comfort him before she realized what she was doing. Fight to keep her embarrassment from showing, Kyoko snatched her hand away as if she'd been burned. 'What am I doing? We only just finished the first scene, it's too early for something like that!' Kyoko stilled. 'Something like that? Since when do I have the right to pat Tsuruga san on the head like a little kid? Even if it's for a photo shoot, it's not something a kouhai should be doing to her senpai.' Kyoko pulled her hand in close to her waist, her fidgeting causing her porcelain white dress to swish softly back and forth, the soft black tints around the edges of the dress providing a delicate frame for her pale white legs.

'But…' Kyoko started fidgeting even more, the hem of her dress lightly brushing against Ren's hand. 'But we are supposed to be portraying l-l-lovers in most of the stages of the photo shoot, including this one, so it should be okay in that context, right?' "Mmm." Kyoko groaned lightly, no longer paying attention to anything but the top of Ren's head. 'Besides I did pat Tsuruga san on the head back in Karuizawa, s-so it should be fine if I do it one more time.' Kyoko nodded, conveniently forgetting that Ren was supposed to have been asleep at the time she did it. 'Tsuruga san's hair felt really soft back then…' Kyoko shook her head violently. 'That has nothing to do with this! Even if I am allowed to pat Tsuruga san on the head during the photo shoot, it would be better if I did it later on, maybe right before scene two. That seems about right.' Finally done convincing herself, Kyoko started to move away from Ren, when she felt her dress catch on something.

Turning around again, Kyoko found Ren holding on to the hem of her dress. Her eyes widening, Kyoko stepped back, but Ren did budge, forcing the already short skirt to ride up even higher. Her eyes darting between Ren's face and his hand holding on to her skirt, Kyoko paled upon seeing the determined look on Ren's face. 'What is he trying to make me do?'

"Kyoko chan!" Takumi called. "You're not supposed to blush, calm down!"

'How am I supposed to calm down when it feels like if my skirt goes any higher, Tsuruga san is going to see my under-under…' Kyoko's face turned cherry red as steam poured out of her ears. Unable to stand any longer, Kyoko sank to the ground at Ren's feet. Looking down, Kyoko noticed that her skirt was back in place. 'He finally let go.' Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief before looking back up at Ren's face. 'Thank god, he didn't see.' The fact that Ren might have let go too late refused to enter Kyoko's confused brain. 'Maybe this is my punishment for wanting to pat Tsuruga san on the head.' Kyoko thought absent-mindedly. Her gaze falling on Ren's soft black hair, Kyoko smiled wistfully. 'But I still want to do it…'

Takumi's eyes widened as he observed Kyoko's expression through the camera lens. 'The second scene might actually work better this way.' Looking at Ren, Takumi's mouth curved up into a smile. 'Let's wait for a bit first.'

"Kyoko." Ren whispered. Getting no response, Ren cupped Kyoko's face with his hands. "Kyoko! Pay attention!" Ren whispered fiercely.

Kyoko jumped a bit, settling down immediately once she realized what they were doing. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga san." Kyoko murmured, eyes downcast. Mindful of the camera, Kyoko moved her hands up to settle over Ren's hands on her face. "I'll be more careful from now on."

Ren's eyes flickered slightly, as he felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Kyoko chan, Tsuruga kun, change of plans." Takumi ordered. "Start the second scene from that position."

Kyoko nodded, taking hold of Ren's hands and pulling them away from her face. Sitting up on her knees, Kyoko brushed her hand over Ren's cheek, before locking her hands behind Ren's neck and pulling him down until their faces were even. Keeping Takumi's earlier lesson in mind, Kyoko tilted her head and softly kissed Ren on the cheek.

"Alright, one last pose." Takumi instructed. "Kyoko chan, keep that position, but turn to look at the camera. Tilt your head a little more towards Tsuruga kun. Good. Tsuruga kun, put your arm around Kyoko chan's back, alright. Now smile, both of you. Okay, we're done!" Takumi smiled. 'Got the picture for the back cover.'

Kyoko sighed, sitting back down on her heels. 'It's finally over.' "Otsukare-sama, Tsuruga san."

"Otsukare, Kyoko." Ren said gently. "Need a hand?"

Kyoko shook her head slowly. "I'm fine. I want to sit down for a little longer."

Ren laughed lightly. "Alright then." Leaning back on the couch, he patted the seat next to him. "If you're going to sit down, at least sit on the couch." Lightly grabbing Kyoko's hand, he swiftly pulled her up onto the couch. "That's better."

"T-thank you." Kyoko smoothed out her skirt, before noting that one side was a little longer than the other. "Tsuruga san… the skirt is lopsided where you pulled on it!"

Ren frowned lightly. "Really? Stand up and let me take a look."

Kyoko positioned herself directly in front of Ren, feeling a bit nervous at having Ren examine her skirt. Trying to speed up the process, Kyoko pointed to the right side of the skirt. "It's a bit stretched out around the edges on this side." 'By about one millimeter, if I'm not mistaken.'

Ren looked at both the left and right sides of the skirt carefully, but found both sides to look exactly the same. Ren looked up to stare at Kyoko's face. "It looks fine to me. It doesn't look stretched out at all."

'Even if I am allowed to pat Tsuruga san on the head during the photo shoot, it would be better if I did it later on, right before scene two. That seems about right.'

"Are you that disappointed that the dress's skirt isn't lopsided and stretched out?" Ren asked in a teasing manner, a faint smile playing around the corners of his lips.

Kyoko crossed her arms in the shape of an X and shook her head rapidly. "No, not at all! I'm glad it was just my imagination. I was just… thinking about something else for a moment, that's all." 'I'll ask one of the staff members later to take a look at it to make sure.'

"Is something wrong, Kyoko?" Ren asked, a hint of concern appearing in his eyes.

"No, nothing's wrong, Tsuruga san." Kyoko smiled. 'It's not like I could tell Tsuruga san that I feel disappointed because I missed my chance to pat him on the head. I'd probably sound like some strange perverted lunatic wandering the streets…' Images of herself in a tattered dress, wandering the streets asking anyone who came close, "Can I pat you on the head, sonny?" with a creepy, shaking voice floated through her mind.

Kyoko shooed away the offending daydream in a huff. 'I would rather take this secret disappointment of mine to the grave before letting Tsuruga san think of me like that.' Kyoko nodded vehemently. 'I definitely won't tell him!'

"Uh, Kyoko, what are you doing?" Ren's voice brought Kyoko back from her thoughts, and to the reality that her hand was firmly stuck to the Tsuruga Ren's head.

A/N: Well, the photo shoot is finally over, but it'll be a little while before they can finally get off the set! I hope you enjoyed yourselves, I sure did, haha. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter and fanfic. I wish you all a happy pi day! ^^


	41. Chapter 41

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Having inspiration at 3:00AM the day before midterms can be kind of... mind boggling, haha. Well, less than forty-eight hours later, a new chapter is born. Seriously, going from brainstorming ideas to finishing the chapter in less than 48 hours while dealing with midterms made me feel like my brain was on crack. (To reassure you, it was not, I had only been drinking milk the entire time, at 3:00AM in the morning... okay, maybe I had some cereal with my milk, oh well, haha)

That I could finish this chapter so quickly this time around is due to how much fun Takumi had toying with Ren and Kyoko *cough* I mean, uh, how much fun this chapter was to write, haha. ^^

Thank you to all my readers for sticking with me and my irregular updating schedule this long, I really appreciate it. ^^ To all who reviewed, favorited, and put this fanfic on their story alerts as well, you guys are awesome. ^^

Dedication: To all my fellow skip beat fans in FH, you guys rock! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, I only own this fanfic and Takumi/Sasaki. (No slash pairing please. -_^)

Chapter 41

Kyoko froze, her hand reflexively tightening its grip on Ren's hair.

Ren raised an eyebrow, and shot Kyoko an amused smile. "You like touching my hair that much?"

Steam poured out of every available opening in Kyoko's head, resembling a teapot that had just reached its boiling point. Kyoko relaxed her grip on Ren's hair, accidentally patting his head a few times as she shook her own. "N-no, that's not it…"

Ren's smile grew wider. "I really wouldn't mind if that was the reason, Kyoko."

The remaining ice surrounding Kyoko melted instantly. "Does that mean you would mind if it was for a different reason?" Kyoko asked hesitantly. 'I don't trust that smile of his.'

Ren thought for a moment, "Not necessarily." He replied simply.

"I see…" Kyoko murmured, lost in thought. With her attention no longer focused on her surroundings, Kyoko began playing with Ren's hair as she mulled over what response she should give him. 'I can't exactly say the reason I wanted to pat him on the head was because…' Kyoko stopped. 'Why did I want to pat Tsuruga san on the head in the first place? If it was because of the acting he did during the photo shoot, it would be nothing to be too embarrassed about, but the photo shoot is already over…' "Maybe I was still thinking about acting out A-ko?" Kyoko wondered out loud, ruffling Ren's hair a bit. "No, I don't think that's it."

Kyoko frowned, yanking Ren's hair towards her, before smoothing it out. "If I really was in character at that time, I wouldn't have hesitated for the reasons I did.' "If I really think about it, this is the third time already. Only the first time was when I was still in character, wasn't it?" Kyoko said softly, lightly running her fingertips through Ren's hair, stopping at his neck, and repeating the process over again. 'How am I supposed to tell Tsuruga san that?' Kyoko's hands cupped the back of Ren's head, forcefully pulling him towards her. 'Wait a second…' Kyoko's face burned brightly once again, as she tightened her grip on Ren's head, almost pulling him off the couch. 'Wouldn't that mean Tsuruga san was right about the fact that I really do like to touch his hair?' Kyoko bowed her head in shame, a tiny shiver running down her back as a brief warm pressure against her diaphragm registered faintly in Kyoko's befuddled brain. "Nooo." Kyoko groaned lightly. "That's too embarrassing to think about, much less say out loud."

I think what you are doing right now is more than embarrassing enough already, Kyoko chan." Takumi's voice finally broke through Kyoko's reverie.

Still not paying attention to what she was doing, Kyoko hugged Ren's head to her chest, as if guarding a precious treasure from an evil, evil man who wished to take it from her. "What do you mean?" Hearing a shocked gasp from behind her, Kyoko turned to look the other way. There stood Yashiro, looking like a bloated fish, as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, before turning cherry red.

Clearing his throat, and hoping to clear his embarrassment away at the same time, Yashiro said in a choked voice, "Ren, I'm happy for you, but you shouldn't do these kinds of things out in the open, where anyone could see you." 'Though I am glad to be able to personally witness their progress, such things should be done in private, otherwise it could create a scandal.' Yashiro pushed up his glasses. "I'm sorry, Kyoko chan, but do you think you could let go of Ren for now? You can continue in Ren's dressing room afterwards." Yashiro said in an embarrassed tone. 'Ren really is shameless, getting Kyoko to do something so daring, in public no less!'

"Eh?" Kyoko blinked once in confusion, before looking down, where her hands were firmly holding Ren's head against her chest. 'How can Tsuruga san breathe like that?' Kyoko's eyes widened. 'Of course Tsuruga san can't breathe in that kind of position! Does that mean I've been suffocating him this entire time?'

Kyoko immediately let go of Ren's hand and swiftly backed off, her suspicions confirmed when Ren let out a light cough. 'I really was suffocating Tsuruga san!' Kyoko threw herself to the ground in front of Ren, what she was doing could not even be called a dogeza anymore. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga san! I didn't mean to suffocate you!" Kyoko wailed. "I promise, I wasn't trying to kill you! I put myself at your mercy. I will gladly take any punishment you see fit to inflict on me!"

All three men burst into laughter, with Ren even having to brush away a few tears. "You weren't suffocating me, Kyoko, don't worry."

"But," Kyoko protested, "there's no way you would have been able to breathe in that kind of position!"

Ren smiled, "I was able to breathe just fine through my mouth."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Then why did you cough just now?"

"Hm?" Ren thought for a second. "Oh, that. That was because you let go of me so suddenly that it surprised me for a second, that's all."

Kyoko bowed her head in relief, her forehead touching the ground. 'Thank goodness.' Kyoko stood up, patting herself down to make sure no dust remained on the pretty dress. "Um, about why I was patting Tsuruga san's head earlier…" Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Ren's reaction. "I guess the reason Tsuruga san mentioned before was why I did it, but it was originally because of the way we were acting in the photo shoot earlier." 'There, I said it!' Kyoko turned around, ready to bolt, when Takumi's words stopped her in her tracks.

"Heh… No wonder you were playing with Tsuruga kun's hair for so long. He looked pretty happy about it too." Takumi smirked at the shocked expression on Kyoko's face. "Tsuruga kun's hair really does look like a tornado just went through it. It's definitely worse than any bed head I've ever seen."

Takumi watched as the color drained from Kyoko's face, and she turned to look back at Ren. 'It really is a sight worth seeing.' Takumi chuckled silently, 'I'm surprised she was able to ignore it earlier.'

Kyoko's eyes ran over Ren's head, which did seem to have tufts of hair sticking out in all different directions from what Kyoko could see. 'I did that? Isn't that a little exaggerated? I only patted him on the head a few times.' Kyoko bit her lip. 'But I did find myself suffocating, no wait, almost suffocating Tsuruga san, so I guess that's why his hair looks like that.'

Kyoko's mouth turned up into a tiny smile. 'It does make Tsuruga san look like he's still a teenager though…' Kyoko quickly stifled a small laugh. 'No! Why am I laughing? If Tsuruga san's hair looks like that… then that means I was harassing Tsuruga san to that extent!' Kyoko's eyes popped open in horror. "I am so sorry for harassing you, Tsuruga san! My rudeness today seems to know no limits. I am disgusted with myself!" Kyoko tried to bow, flinching as Ren forced her to stand up straight and look him in the eye. "My deepest apologies, my attitude just now was unforgivable!"

Ren sighed harshly. "You were not harassing me, Kyoko. You did nothing wrong."

Kyoko shook her head firmly. "There's no other way to explain it. Messing with Tsuruga san's hair to that extent, and, even worse, almost suffocating Tsuruga san by h-hugging you too tightly. If that's not harassment, then I don't know what is!"

"Hmmm…" Ren's murmur ended in a mocking tone. Moving behind Kyoko, Ren tucked her hair behind her ear, leaning over to whisper darkly, "Then, shall I give you an example?" Ren put his hand on Kyoko's shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. "Well?"

"I-it's fine, you don't have to give me an example, Tsuruga san!" Kyoko said hurriedly, "But I still feel that what I did can also be considered harassment, for which I cannot apologize enough."

Takumi laughed. "If you had done that to a stranger, or even an acquaintance, yes, that could probably be considered harassment."

Ren shot Takumi a dirty look. "Kyoko didn't harass me."

Kyoko turned around and gave Ren a weak smile. "For a kouhai you have gone out of your way to help many times to harass you, Tsuruga san, is probably so horrible a thought that you want to forget it ever happened. But, Tsuruga san, I did harass you, and I will apologize as many times as needed until you face reality." Kyoko kneeled in front of Ren, before bowing so that her head touched the floor. "I truly am very sorry, Tsuruga san."

Ren's expression stiffened in exasperation. "Kyoko, something like this can only be considered harassment if the other party is unwilling. I told you before, didn't I? I don't mind if you like touching my hair."

Takumi rolled his eyes at Ren's words. "That's quite an understatement, Tsuruga kun. You didn't mind? More like you were having fun getting your hair yanked every which way." Takumi laughed sarcastically. "Well, it certainly was an interesting sight."

Kyoko slowly raised her head to look up at Ren. "Tsuruga san, you were having fun being harassed?" 'There's something very wrong with that picture.'

Ren frowned lightly. "You didn't harass me." Turning his head to the side slightly, a faint blush graced Ren's cheeks, as he avoided Kyoko's gaze. "But yeah, I guess you could say that."

Kyoko's jaw dropped in astonishment. Sitting back on her heels, Kyoko stared in horrified fascination at Ren's imitation of a shy high school girl. 'No wonder Tsuruga san doesn't want to admit to being harassed. Wouldn't that mean Tsuruga san was…' Kyoko shook her head furiously. 'No, no, that's too scary to think about. No one likes being harassed, Tsuruga san is no different!' "Y-you didn't say I could smother you though." Kyoko responded hesitantly.

Ren rubbed the back of his neck as if he was slightly embarrassed. "Well, it was surprising, but it's not like I hated it."

Kyoko's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. 'Then, that means Tsuruga san really is a ma –"

"If it wasn't harassment," Takumi interjected jokingly, "isn't that just simple flirting then?"

Kyoko whipped her head around to look at Takumi, staring blankly at the director. "Eh?"

Takumi cocked his head back, while his eyes stared back down at Kyoko's still figure. "Couples do all that and more rather often, in variations, of course."

Bewilderment clouded Kyoko's eyes. "But Tsuruga san and I aren't a couple."

Takumi noted the look of resignation that flashed through Ren's eyes, before continuing on. "Really?" Takumi feigned surprise. "Did you break-up recently then? You two were fighting a lot these past few days."

"No, Tsuruga san and I have never been in that kind of relationship before." Kyoko replied, even more confused now.

Takumi's eyes narrowed in triumph, as he delivered the final blow. "Oh? That's too bad." Takumi said lightly, "You two would make a great couple. After all, you act like one already."

Kyoko's eyes widened comically, her face twisting into a look of stupefied horror, while every visible area not covered by the porcelain white dress was slowly turning lobster red. "N-no, that's not possible!" Kyoko stammered, her voice cracking at the end, as something resembling a train whistle was heard, ending with Kyoko passing out on the spot, her head thrown back onto the couch right where Ren had been sitting just minutes earlier.

A/N: Well, can anyone guess what Kyoko suspected Ren was? I'll give you a hint, it starts with "M", lol. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I truly do appreciate it!


	42. Chapter 42

Ren's Birthday

A/N: I'm happy I got to finish a chapter during my break, just like I planned for once, haha. ^^ Well, the answer to last chapter's author's note question is answered by Takumi in the first paragraph. I hope that it's kind of obvious, haha. I really really had fun with this chapter. It was like the characters were writing their own parts, and wouldn't do what I wanted to do. Well, actually, that part was a little frustrating. It's like trying to write "Go left." but no matter how hard you try, you keep writing, "Go Right!"

Well, enough of that already. ^^ Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and put this story on their story alerts, I always feel so happy to know so many people like my story, slow as it is. ^^ Thank you so much for your support.

Dedication: The characters for writing the story for me, lol!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! I only own Takumi. ^^ (Sasaki too, haha)

Chapter 42

Takumi stared blankly at Kyoko's still form. 'Again? At least the photo shoot is over, but still, again?' Takumi sighed harshly. 'What an irritating woman. Amusing, yes, but maddeningly irritating nonetheless.' Takumi's gaze shifted to Ren, who had knelt down next to Kyoko and gently picked her up, carefully setting her down on the couch. 'This guy must be a bonafide masochist to like her so much.' Takumi smiled faintly. 'Interesting. I wonder if they'll let me play a bit more. It's been rather boring lately.'

Kyoko's eyes flickered open and accidentally saw the look in Takumi's eyes as he gazed at Ren's face. Something in Kyoko screamed 'Danger!' Snapping to her feet, she immediately thrust herself between Ren and Takumi, her arms spread wide as if to deter Takumi from getting any closer to Ren.

Takumi's eyes widened in surprise at Kyoko's sudden movement, his attention diverted from Ren for the moment. 'She really is an amusing woman.' Takumi's eyes sparkled with anticipation. 'Let's play!'

Kyoko felt a chill run down her back as Takumi's face donned a "normal" expression once more. Stepping back, Kyoko bumped into Ren, who was staring at her strangely.

"Kyoko, are you okay? What are you doing?" Ren asked worriedly.

"Prot–" Kyoko forcefully slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself, accidentally forcing her head back against Ren's chest. 'That was close.'

Ren leaned over to look at Kyoko's face, his eyes narrowing. "What were you about to say, Kyoko?"

"Yes, please tell us, Kyoko chan." Takumi chimed in, "I really would like to know the reasons for your actions."

Kyoko carefully took her hand away from her mouth and smiled nervously. "It's nothing. I don't think I was fully conscious." Bowing to both Takumi and Ren respectively, Kyoko quietly apologized. "I'm very sorry for any inconvenience my fainting has given you, Director Takumi. Tsuruga san, I'm so sorry for making you worry about me yet again. I'm alright now."

Ren smiled faintly, patting Kyoko's shoulder lightly. "It's fine as long as you are alright, Kyoko."

"Sorry to interrupt your little moment there," Takumi broke in, inwardly smirking at the idiotic pink aura emanating from the couple across from him. "But, was that really the only reason, Kyoko chan?" Takumi drawled, emphasizing Kyoko's name.

Kyoko stiffened, immediately getting back into position in front of Ren without a second thought. "Y-yes, Director Takumi." 'We need to get out of here. Now.' was the only thought running through Kyoko's mind, an image of herself shielding a gigantic hunk of meat from a starving hyena posing as the background for her mindless mental reiteration.

Takumi tilted his head slightly to the side, locking eyes with Kyoko. "Hmm, is that so? Then you wouldn't mind moving away from Tsuruga kun, would you? You're not really helping your case right now, you know."

Kyoko's brow furrowed in confusion, refusing to budge an inch from her position. "What do you mean?"

Takumi crossed his arms, tapping a finger against his mouth thoughtfully. "Hmm. Well, to put it simply, you're acting like your loved one's about to be taken away from you. It truly is a classic jealous girlfriend pose." Takumi laughed inside. 'Relax, it's not like I'm going to eat him.'

Kyoko blinked once, twice. "Huh?" 'No! I can't be distracted by Director Takumi's lies. I must focus on protecting Tsuruga san!'

Takumi turned away from the couple. "What do you think, Yashiro kun?"

Yashiro hesitated for a moment, before slowly walking over and standing next to Takumi. "Kyoko chan's actions could be construed in that manner…" Yashiro froze as he felt something grab hold of his neck, adding hastily, "B-but, it can also be seen as a mother protecting her child from danger." Yashiro coughed lightly as the invisible grip on his throat loosened and disappeared. 'Ah… I thought someone was choking me for a second there…' Looking up, Yashiro paled as he saw Ren shoot him an angry glare, before his expression morphed into a harshly brilliant smile aimed directly at his manager. Fighting the urge to slink backwards to get out of Ren's field of vision, Yashiro broke out into a light sweat. 'Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut…'

Takumi smiled, a welcome contrast to Ren in Yashiro's eyes. "But, either way, it seems like Kyoko chan feels the need to protect Tsuruga kun from something. Isn't that right, Kyoko chan?"

Kyoko averted her eyes, stammering, "T-that's not true…" Her arms, still spread wide, drew back, as if caging Ren in behind her.

Takumi laughed lightly. "Your actions aren't matching your words, Kyoko chan. If you really mean it, then you wouldn't mind stepping away from Tsuruga kun, would you?" 'She stopped responding to the loved one comments, that's no fun…' Takumi's gaze swept over Kyoko's body. 'But, oh well. This is fun enough, for now.'

The corners of Kyoko's mouth turned down. "O-of course not! But the photo shoot has ended for quite some time already. We'd best change and get going. I'm sure Tsuruga san has to wake up early tomorrow, so he needs to rest."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "At 4:30 in the afternoon?"

Kyoko's cheeks were dusted with a light shade of pink. "There's nothing wrong with sleeping early every once in a while."

"At 4:30 in the afternoon?" Takumi repeatedly dryly.

"Taking into account any other work related dealings Tsuruga san has today, leaving now would be best so he can get enough sleep. Tsuruga san doesn't take good enough care of his body as it is." Kyoko said defensively, earning a startled look from both Ren and Yashiro.

"Kyoko…" Ren said in a warning tone.

Kyoko's eyes widened. Immediately turning around, Kyoko bowed deeply. "I apologize for my rudeness, Tsuruga san. I spoke out of turn"

Ren sighed. "That's enough. Stand up."

Kyoko flinched, slowly raising her head. "I really am sorry, Tsuruga san!"

"It's fine, Kyoko." Ren said softly. "I'm happy you care so much for my well-being, just be more careful next time."

Kyoko nodded. "I understand." Taking this chance, Kyoko moved towards the dressing rooms. "Shall we go?"

"You finally stepped away from him, didn't you, Kyoko chan?" Takumi smirked, instantly closing the distance between them. Putting his hand on Ren's shoulder, Takumi laughed at the look on Kyoko's face. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Director Takumi," Ren protested coolly, "What are you doing–?'

"Shh." Takumi whispered into Ren's ear. "Just watch."

Kyoko bit her lip in frustration, her entire body visibly shaking. "Tsuruga san, we should go." Kyoko repeated firmly, pointedly ignoring Takumi's taunting. 'Get away from him. It's dangerous!'

Takumi leaned towards Ren, putting his mouth near Ren's ear. "Doesn't she look oh so jealous? She must really like you, to even get jealous of a man coming near you."

Ren jerked his head away, his face slightly flushed.

Kyoko's eyes widened, watching Ren's reaction in fascinated horror. 'Oh my god, he's going to eat him! No one warned me about Director Takumi liking guys as well as girls!' Kyoko turned to Yashiro for help, her eyes pleading with him to do something.

Following Kyoko's gaze, Takumi looked back at Yashiro. Turning Yashiro to stone with a single glare, Takumi turned back to Ren. "Your little kouhai really has been acting quite possessively, what a drag. Unless, of course, you happen to like that type. You're the same after all, so possessive of your little kouhai."

Ren's eyes widened. "That–!"

"Wait. Don't watch me, watch her. She's almost at her boiling point." Takumi whispered, a cat-like smile gracing his mouth. "Kyoko chan," Takumi called. "What's wrong? You look like your lover's been taken away from you."

Kyoko took a deep breath. 'I have to save Tsuruga san.' "Tsuruga san and I aren't in that sort of relationship, and never will be." She stated simply.

Ren's shoulder twitched slightly under Takumi's hand as he felt Kyoko drive an invisible stake through his heart.

'There's no possible way Tsuruga san would ever see me in that light, not someone unworthy like me…' "However," Kyoko continued, "I must inform you that Tsuruga san is not interested in men."

Takumi cut in. "I know. And?"

"Eh?" Kyoko clasped her hands together tightly. 'I have to protect Tsuruga san. Don't think about unnecessary things!' "S-so, um, that is…" Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut and quickly bowed once. "I'm sorry, but you can't eat Tsuruga san!" Her clear voice reached into every corner of the studio. Grabbing Ren's arm, Kyoko forcefully dragged Ren away from Takumi, only stopping once they were in front of Ren's dressing room.

Opening the door, Kyoko quickly pulled Ren inside. "I'm very sorry for being so forward, but please change quickly, otherwise Director Takumi might try to walk in on you…" Kyoko blushed at the memory of her own mishap. "O-on purpose that is." Quickly shutting the door, Kyoko turned and ran into her own dressing room.

Ren stared at the door blankly, replaying the past few minutes in his head. Putting his hand over his mouth, Ren's cheeks slowly turned red. 'I think something really embarrassing just happened.'

A/N: I wonder if Takumi will let it go at that. To tell the truth, I don't know yet myself, haha. He really likes to mess with people, that one does. ^^

Honestly, when I was re-reading Takumi's part in the beginning, he really reminded me of one of those ghost kids in horror movies that appear out of nowhere and grab onto your arm or leg, saying over and over again, "Play wif me, Mister" hahahaha.

I thank everyone who took the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, you guys are the main reason I feel motivated to continue this story. ^^ (That, and I have a feeling that Takumi will haunt me forever if I don't, haha!)


	43. Chapter 43

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Yay, another chapter after... oh my god, it's been almost two years. Um, uh, wow it's been a while. I'm really really sorry about that. Didn't intend for that to happen. I've been extremely busy since the break I had where I wrote chapter 42. So, as it happens, I finished writing chapter 43 during my spring break, haha. I'm really sorry for taking so long to update, but I'm finishing school in three months, which will mean no more paperwork! Or at least, not as much paperwork, hopefully not more paperwork...

Um, anyways, I actually brainstormed part of this chapter two years ago, but I... kind of forgot what I had written before, aha haha ha... So I reread my fanfic and Skip Beat while I had time (so sporadically) till I finally caught up and was able to start writing again. But, uh, Yashiro kind of hijacked my chapter. I'm not kidding. He was in, um, one sentence in the original draft. But he's kind of... everywhere now *facepalms*. Well, I think Yashiro did a better job directing this chapter than I did, even though he kind of made me want to throw this chapter against the wall a few times due to how powerless I was to actually write the chapter the way I wanted.

It's funny though, at least, I think it's funny. It's good if the writer thinks it's funny right, otherwise it wouldn't be funny... I don't know what I'm talking about anymore, lol.

As always, thank you so so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and put this story on their story alerts even when I dropped the ball for so long. You guys are awesome, and the main reason I'm still writing this fic.

Dedication: My readers for staying with me, and Yashiro, for dragging this story to a place I never thought it would go. Seriously, I swear this guy is kind of twisted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! I only own Takumi and Sasaki.

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Chapter 43

Takumi watched silently as Kyoko pulled Ren into his dressing room, his eyes filled with mirth. 'Well, that was fun. If I decide to take up that offer to do a wedding collection photo album…' Takumi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. 'I'll use that stupid couple for the cover.'

Turning to Yashiro, Takumi's eyes widened slightly at the expression on Yashiro's face as the excited manager turned his head to look first at Ren's dressing room, then at Kyoko's dressing room, and then back at Ren's dressing room. Takumi held back a snicker of amusement as he silently watched Yashiro turn his head back and forth like a child who had two plates of his favorite foods in front of him. 'This guy seems to want Kyoko chan and Tsuruga kun to get together even more than that love-struck idiot does. Interesting…' Takumi's eyes narrowed as his mouth curved upwards in an amused smile.

Yashiro's eyes darted back and forth between Ren and Kyoko's dressing rooms a few more times, before honing in on the door to Ren's dressing room with enough intensity to bore a peephole right through the door. 'Ren must be so happy about being touched by Kyoko chan today.' Yashiro's eyes sparkled with delight. 'He blushed like a school girl when he admitted that he liked having Kyoko touch him.' Yashiro squealed silently, before covering his mouth as his eyes and lips turned upwards into a suspicious smile. 'I wonder what his face looks like now. Maybe he has a stupidly happy expression, or a super embarrassed face.' Yashiro squeezed his eyes shut as it became harder and harder to keep from giggling diabolically. 'I want to see!'

"Yashiro san?"

Yashiro immediately turned to Takumi, a professional mask now firmly in place. "Yes?"

Takumi's eyes lit up for a split second, filled with laughter, before putting on his own mask. 'This man's expressions are… really… fun.' "Please ask Tsuruga kun if he wants to see some of the photos today."

Yashiro nodded his head, resisting the urge to glance back at Ren's dressing room. "How many can he choose?"

Takumi thought for a moment, "Around ten." He replied slowly, drawing the words out.

Yashiro bowed slightly. "Understood. I will go tell him now." With that, Yashiro turned sharply on his heel and walked over to Ren's dressing room as fast as his feet could take him while still maintaining a professional air about him.

Takumi's mouth softened into a bemused smile as his eyes followed Yashiro's retreating back. 'He might be fun to play with too…'

Yashiro knocked lightly on the door, a faint smile crossing his lips as he heard the tell-tale click of the door being unlocked.

Ren opened the door to find his manager with a cat-like grin on his face. He sighed, resisting the urge to slam the door in Yashiro's face. "Come in, Yashiro san."

Yashiro quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind him, his eyes slanting upwards as he stole a peek at Ren's still disheveled hair. 'No blush, but well, well, what do we have here?' "I see you still haven't fixed your hair yet." Yashiro's cat-like grin grew wider. "Is it because you want to keep the evidence of Kyoko chan playing with your hair intact? Should I take a picture?" Yashiro's body shook lightly from holding in his laughter, a few muffled giggles escaping every so often.

Ren shot a blindingly bright smile Yashiro's way, sending chills down Yashiro's spine with every sparkle of light that hit him. "Of course not. I was merely planning to fix my hair after I had changed."

Yashiro stilled, hesitating for a moment from the fear and dread Ren's gentlemanly smile induced, before shaking off his apprehension and bravely pushing forward in his mission to tease Ren. "I wish Director Takumi had managed to take a picture of Kyoko chan playing with your hair, or better yet, when she was leaning against you so naturally. That would have been such a nice memento. You could use it to cheer you up on the days you can't see Kyoko chan." Yashiro sighed sadly, "I would have wanted a picture too as proof of your progress towards winning Kyoko chan's heart."

A quiet murmur flickered through Ren's mind. 'I would have liked to have a picture of that too…' Shaking off the thought, Ren's smile gentled slightly. "Too bad, you'll just have to settle for the photo book after it's been published."

"Ah, speaking of the photo book, Director Takumi wanted to know whether you wished to see the photos before we leave. He said he'll let you choose ten personal prints." Yashiro snuck a glance at Ren's face, relieved to see that Ren was smiling normally again.

Ren nodded, not noticing that the mischievous glint had yet to disappear from Yashiro's eyes. "Yes, I do. I'll go take a look at the photos after I fix my hair."

As if on cue, Yashiro smile widened suspiciously. "I still can't believe that you told Kyoko chan you like being touched by her. Oh, that reminds me, what was the reason Kyoko chan was playing with your hair?" Yashiro walked over to stand next to Ren, eyes sparkling with unbridled excitement. "Could it be that she likes touching you that much?"

Ren stiffened slightly, the smile slipping from his face to leave behind an emotionless mask with eyes that stared at the wall, refusing to look at Yashiro san. "Only my hair."

The short high-pitched squeal of joy Yashiro emitted startled Ren enough for Ren to turn towards Yashiro. "I can't believe Kyoko chan, the number one love me girl, that Kyoko chan, actually said she liked touching you Ren. Congratulations!" Yashiro wiped away an errant tear. "You've made so much progress today. Kyoko chan even tried to make sure Director Takumi didn't eat you." Yashiro started snickering again at the look on Ren's face, which was colored a very faint pink. "You two looked so cute together when she leaned back against you and looked up. Onii-san is so happy for you."

Ren walked over to the clothes rack. Keeping his back to Yashiro san, Ren shrugged nonchalantly as he hung up the clothes from the clothing shoot.

* _flashback *_

_Kyoko blushed lightly, irritating Ren even further. "Well, um, please don't tell Sasaki onii-san, I mean, Sasaki san this, but he kind of gives off a motherly aura, so it just feels natural to call him 'onii-san.' Kyoko explained softly._

_* flashback *_

Ren smiled softly, triggering Yashiro's fanboy instincts. "Kyoko chan looked so upset when Director Takumi tried to separate you two. Even when she was hugging you earlier, Kyoko chan just hugged you tighter when Director Takumi tried to get her attention. I'm sure Kyoko chan is starting to like you too!" Yashiro sighed dramatically. "It's too bad Kyoko chan misunderstood your confession earlier."

Ren glanced sharply at Yashiro, who had come to stand next to him again. "Excuse me?"

Yashiro grinned evilly. "It was such a cute confession too. You were blushing like a shy little school girl."

Ren beamed a super sparkly gentlemanly smile at Yashiro as he shrugged on a white dress shirt. "I believe your memory has taken a turn for the worse, Yashiro san. Just what did I say that you mistook for a confession, hmm?"

Yashiro braved onward, ignoring the warning bells blaring in his head that told him to either shut up or change the topic if he wished to live to tease Ren another day. Glancing upwards at Ren, Yashiro blinked innocently, "When you confessed that you had fun when Kyoko chan was playing with your hair and hugging you like she didn't want to let you go."

Yashiro looked away from Ren and put his lightly clenched fists under his chin in an exaggerated cutesy pose. "Tsuruga san, you were having fun being harassed?" Yashiro exclaimed in a poor imitation of a high-pitched voice.

Yashiro's hands fell from their position under his chin, his fingers intertwining as he began to twiddle his thumbs. Ren's gentlemanly smile grew significantly brighter as Yashiro continued his one-man re-enactment skit of Ren's confession.

Yashiro let his head fall forward, gazing at his hands as if embarrassed. A small pout had made its way onto Yashiro's mouth as he spoke in a deep voice. "You didn't harass me." Glancing up at Ren, Yashiro made a show of fidgeting nervously. "But yeah, I guess you could say that." Yashiro fluttered his lashes at Ren for added effect before bursting into laughter. "I didn't know you could blush like that Ren, you looked so cute earlier."

"Yashiro san." Ren warned in a dark tone, fake smile melting away as Yashiro came face-to-face with the demon king.

Yashiro paled, a huge lump forming in his throat. Taking a deep breath, Yashiro slowly backed away from Ren, laughing nervously. "Yes, Ren san?"

Ren's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't remember asking you to put on such a ridiculous show, nor do I appreciate you blatantly teasing me." Ren leaned forward, looking Yashiro square in the eye. "Yashiro san."

Yashiro started slightly, his breath hitching in his throat. "Y-yes?"

An angry glint twinkled in Ren's eyes, causing the hair on the back of Yashiro's neck to stand on end. "That wasn't very nice of you, Yashiro san."

Yashiro briefly bowed his head. "Sorry Ren san. I went too far."

Ren sighed heavily, giving Yashiro a small smile as the demon king faded away. "It's okay."

Yashiro smiled back, relief washing over him before his mind immediately went back to the scene he witnessed earlier. "It's great that Kyoko chan is more comfortable around you, but next time you two start flirting again, make sure it happens in private. Luckily only Director Takumi was there this time, but the more people who witness it, the more likely it is for your little 'moment' to get leaked to the press. I was extremely happy to have seen your first lovey-dovey moment together, but please keep in mind time, place and occasion next time."

Ren gave Yashiro a small nod. "I'll keep it in mind." 'That is, if there is a next time.' Walking over to the small table next to the clothing rack, Ren caught sight of himself in the mirror that covered the wall next to the dressing room door. Ren blinked slowly, once, twice, as he took a good look at the mess Kyoko had made of his hair earlier. 'It looks more disheveled than I thought,' he mused, as he absently worked his hand through his hair a few times before picking up a brush.

Yashiro lightly frowned as Ren set about to demolish the work Kyoko had done on his hair. His frown quickly changed into a sly smile as the brush kept getting stuck in the snags that Kyoko's fingers had made by repeatedly yanking Ren's hair in different directions. "Do you need help Ren?" Yashiro's lips trembled in amusement as Ren proceeded to try and pull the brush out of his hair.

"I'm fine." Ren murmured brusquely, carefully wiggling the brush out of the tangle of knots his hair had apparently become. 'Maybe I'll try the other side first.'

"Are you sure?" Yashiro asked, laughing as he noticed Ren giving up the battle he had been waging on the right side of his head. Searching through the dressing room, Yashiro found another brush inside the table next to the clothing rack. "I could work on the right side while you work on the left."

Ren's grip tightened on the hair brush's handle. "Thank you for your offer, Yashiro san, but I think I can brush my own hair."

Yashiro shrugged. "Alright then." Turning away from Ren to put away the brush, a sudden loud noise made Yashiro jump slightly in surprise. Yashiro whipped his head towards the direction of the sound, his eyes widening in shock at the sight of the headless hair brush handle in Ren's hand, the head of the brush still stuck in his hair.

Ren smiled sheepishly. "Yashiro san, is your offer for help still open?" Taking care to be gentle, Ren tried to work the bristles out of his hair.

Yashiro nodded. "Of course. I'll go see if the hair stylist is still on set."

Stepping out of the dressing room, Yashiro quickly flagged down a nearby staff member. "Excuse me, are there any hair stylists still on set?"

The staff member slowly shook his head. "I don't think so, but I'll go check with the staff manager to make sure."

Yashiro thanked the staff member who scurried off in search of his supervisor. Five minutes later, the staff member returned with the staff manager in tow.

The staff manager bowed to Yashiro in apology. I am sorry, but the last hair stylist left right before 4:30PM. I apologize for the inconvenience. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Yashiro shook his head, smiling politely. "No, but thank you for your help. I hope to work with you again in the future."

The staff manager and staff member smiled widely at Yashiro san, bowed one last time, and murmured their good-byes as they went back to their work.

The sound of a door softly closing caught Yashiro's attention. Turning towards the direction of the sound, Yashiro caught sight of Kyoko as she walked away from her dressing room.

"Kyoko chan!" Kyoko turned to see Yashiro hurrying towards her, a mischievous light gleaming in his eyes that betrayed the worried expression he tried to portray.

"Yashiro san, is something wrong?" Kyoko asked, slightly concerned by the look on Yashiro's face.

Yashiro schooled his features, fighting the urge to giggle. "Do you think you could help Ren with a little, uh, problem he's having? I don't think he can fix it himself."

Kyoko whipped her head around, the sheer intensity of her gaze threatening to burn a hole through Ren's dressing room. "What happened to Tsuruga san?" Kyoko asked, worry evident in her expression.

"It's nothing serious, but judging by how he was handling the problem earlier, I don't think he'll be able to leave his dressing room for a while. I need to talk to Director Takumi about the photo album for a moment, so can you please go to Ren's dressing room first? You'll see what's wrong once you go in." Yashiro sighed, quietly muttering under his breath, "I hope he hasn't made things worse since I left."

Kyoko's eyes widened at Yashiro's words. Snapping to attention, Kyoko saluted a startled Yashiro. "Don't worry Yashiro san, I will do my best to help Tsuruga san."

Yashiro smiled softly. "Thank you, Kyoko chan. I'm sure Ren will appreciate your help."

Kyoko quickly bowed to Yashiro and spun around, ready to march to Ren's rescue, when Yashiro called to her again. "Oh, one more thing. Do you want to see the photos taken for the photo album before we leave? Director Takumi mentioned that he'd let you and Ren choose ten photos each."

Kyoko nodded distractedly. "Yes, I do. Thank you for telling me, Yashiro san. If you'll excuse me..." Feeling impatient, Kyoko practically sprinted the short distance to Ren's dressing room.

Yashiro grinned evilly as he slowly walked over to talk to Takumi. 'Time, place, occasion. Check.'

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A/N: Well, Yashiro is a devious one, isn't he? Even Takumi is taking notice of him, lol. Last chapter I mentioned that if I didn't continue this fanfic, Takumi would probably haunt me forever. I was right about the haunting, but the character haunting me ended up being Yashiro san, haha. So, no RenxKyoko action this chapter, but there will be next chapter if Yashiro has any say about it (and considering how this chapter went, I think he does).

Oh, one more thing, what's the worst type of brush to use on tangled and knotted hair? Just curious. ^^

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter and this fanfic, I always feel happy that this story is amusing to people other than me, haha. I hope you all have a wonderful day.


	44. Chapter 44

Ren's Birthday

A/N: Well, I'm back for now. I will probably be writing more regularly from now on, since I no longer have to write term papers, yippee! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this fanfic. My motivation to keep writing stems from people enjoying what I write, haha.

Dedication: To Danger All Around, I'm dedicating Kyoko's delusions to you. I hope you enjoy her flights of fancy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! I only own this fanfic and Takumi/Sasaki.

Chapter 44

Kyoko closed the distance between herself and Ren's dressing room in record time, her heart and mind racing with worry as she forcefully slammed the door open. "Tsuruga san, are you alright?" 'Did Director Takumi try to eat you behind my back?'

Ren stared at Kyoko's face and worried eyes with a mixture of bewilderment and bemusement, having only just worked the head of the broken hairbrush out of the tousled, disheveled mess of his hair. "Yes, I'm fine. Is something the matter?" 'I thought we had established that it could be dangerous to your health if you opened that door without my permission.' An image of a beet-red Kyoko flashed through Ren's mind, bringing a tiny smile to Ren's eyes.

Kyoko's eyes scanned over Ren, looking for any sign of injury or harassment. Breathing a small sigh of relief, Kyoko's eyes locked on to the broken hairbrush clasped loosely in Ren's left hand. "Tsuruga san," Kyoko said slowly, tilting her head to the side.

Ren mimicked the tilt of her head and replied, "Yes, Kyoko?"

Kyoko blinked once, slowly, before shifting her gaze to Ren's calm brown eyes. "Why… are you holding a broken hairbrush?

Ren's gaze slid to the broken hairbrush in his hand. An awkward silence permeated the room.

"Tsuruga san?" Kyoko's head tilted another degree.

"Yes, Kyoko?" Ren's eyes remained fixated on the broken hairbrush.

Kyoko spoke clearly, enunciating each syllable. "Why are you holding a broken hairbrush?" Kyoko waited patiently, staring at Ren as if she could stand there and stare at Ren all day waiting for his reply.

Ren watched Kyoko in the mirror for a few seconds before looking away. "Because I broke it."

'...eh?' Kyoko surged forward and grabbed Ren's hand, catching Ren off-guard. "You broke it? How could that happen? Are you hurt?" Kyoko snatched the broken hairbrush out of Ren's hand and carefully set it on the small table nearby. Breathing out a small sigh, Kyoko held Ren's hand close to her face as she examined his hand.

Ren's gaze softened as he watched Kyoko fret over a possible injury to his hand. Before Ren could open his mouth to reassure Kyoko that he was perfectly fine and injury free, a tiny shiver rippled through his body as he felt Kyoko's fingers softly press against the center of his palm.

Kyoko's head snapped up to lock eyes with Ren, her own eyes still filled with concern. "Did that hurt? You have a splinter in the center of your palm." Kyoko tilted Ren's hand to show him the tiny red and brown spot where her thumb had been.

Ren shook his head, a small smile curving his lips. "No, it doesn't hurt."

"Wait here for a minute." Kyoko tore through the room like a mini hurricane, looking for what, Ren didn't know.

Exactly sixty seconds later, Kyoko's head popped out from a corner of the room. "I found it!" Putting everything back in a neat and orderly fashion as fast as she had taken them out, Kyoko quickly made her way back to Ren's side.

"Tsuruga san, please hold out your hand again." Ren wordlessly followed Kyoko's orders, his eyes widening slightly in surprise at the object Kyoko had been looking for.

"Tape?" Ren looked at Kyoko, clearly expecting her to explain why she had felt the need to turn his dressing room inside out looking for a roll of cellophane tape.

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. "For small splinters, it's best to try and get it out first by using tape rather than tweezers or a needle." Focusing on the task at hand, Kyoko gently put a piece of tape over the splinter, softly pressing the tape to make it completely adhere to Ren's skin. A few seconds later, Kyoko slowly pulled off the tape, sighing in relief once she saw that the splinter of wood had stuck to the tape as planned. "Thank goodness." Kyoko examined Ren's hand once more to make sure that there were no longer any stray pieces of wood buried in her senpai's hand. 'It seems like it all came out.'

Ren remained perfectly still lest he startle Kyoko into letting go of his hand, his eyes glued to the satisfied smile on Kyoko's face. 'I never want to let go of this hand.' The muscles in his arms twitched as he fought the urge to close his hand over the small fingers skimming their way across his palm.

Kyoko briefly glanced up at the arm in front of her, before looking over the tiny wound with renewed vigor. "Does it sting?" She asked quietly.

The small smile on Ren's face grew wider. "No, it doesn't. Thank you for taking the splinter out of my hand, Kyoko. I'm fine now."

Kyoko glared up at Ren with indignation. "Of course you're not fine yet!" Kyoko tightly grabbed Ren's hand and dragged the startled model halfway across the room to the sink nestled in the back corner of the dressing room. "It could still get infected if the wound is not taken care of properly." Kyoko gently washed the wound with liquid soap, making sure not to scrub too hard so as to avoid irritating the wound. After rinsing off the residue soap, Kyoko patted Ren's hand dry with a paper towel. "Next, we put ointment on the wound..." Kyoko pulled Ren back to the table where a tiny bottle of ointment cream sat next to the tape dispenser. Letting go of Ren's hand, Kyoko turned her back to Ren in order to unscrew the cap of the ointment bottle.

A few seconds later, Ren tore his gaze away from the nape of Kyoko's neck to peer over her shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise and amusement as he watched a red-faced Kyoko try and fail to open the ointment bottle.

Kyoko's lips curled back in a snarl as she wrestled with the ointment bottle. Holding her breath, she wrenched at the cap to no avail. Her eyes narrowed in frustration and sparked with challenge. A silent laugh escaped from her lips. 'You think you can keep me from taking your precious ointment? Think again. I will have the last laugh!'

A hazy image formed in Kyoko's mind of Princess Ointment shaking and shuddering in fear as Sir Cap protected her with all his might from enemy soldiers, the fearsome General Kyoko leading the army.

"You shall not lay a single finger on Princess Ointment!" Sir Cap cried, valiantly brandishing his broadsword in an attempt to stave off the attackers.

General Kyoko glared down at Sir Cap from atop her mighty steed. "I willhave you surrender Princess Ointment. The king has need of her." General Kyoko nudged the horse forward step by thunderous step, the ground shuddering under the weight of the demonic horse. "Do so, or prepare to die by my hand."

"Never!" Sir Cap roared, charging in to do battle.

Sir Cap and General Kyoko fought for several minutes, neither backing down an inch lest they risk providing a fatal opening for the opponent.

As General Kyoko's breathing grew more labored, she despaired of finding an opening in Sir Cap's impeccable defense. Suddenly, an ingenious idea hit her with the force of Sir Cap's broadsword. "Soldiers!" She cried, "Bring me... the rubber band."

A shocked murmur permeated the ranks, with soldiers whispering to each other, a mixture of terror and excitement gleaming in their eyes. "But, General Kyoko..." A brave soldier called out, "Isn't the rubber band dangerous for the user as well? If it backfires..."

"Silence!" General Kyoko bit out the word through gritted teeth. "You will bring me the rubber band this instant." The tip of General Kyoko's sword grazed the neck of the wide-eyed soldier. "Do you understand me?"

The soldier nodded wordlessly and handed her the weapon that would at long last defeat Sir Cap and allow her to return triumphantly to the King with Princess Ointment.

General Kyoko smiled a cold feline smile that sent an icy shiver down the soldier's back. "Good work, soldier." The soldier nodded and quickly ran back to his position.

General Kyoko turned back to Sir Cap, who had been kept occupied with ten of her best soldiers as she spoke to her men. "Soldiers, stand back!" She ordered, her men immediately retreating behind their general.

General Kyoko stretched the rubber band, twining it around her fingers a few times before taking aim at Sir Cap. "Sir Cap. Prepare to meet your doom." General Kyoko launched herself towards Sir Cap, nudging the giant horse into a ferocious gallop. Summoning all of her strength, she managed to bind Sir Cap with the rubber band. General Kyoko laughed diabolically, her horse prancing and snorting in front of the terrified princess. "Princess Ointment, don't worry. I'll take good care of you."

"That won't be necessary." General Kyoko's horse flinched as the rubber band gave way and snapped, unable to endure the sheer amount of force Sir Cap was exerting. "I, and I alone am qualified to take care of Princess Ointment."

"Sir Cap, you are a worthy opponent." Kyoko huffed, her eyes narrowing to mere slits as she peeled the now broken rubber band off of the cap of the ointment bottle.

'Sir Cap?' Ren quickly covered his mouth as a tiny burst of laughter escaped from his lips.

Kyoko set the ointment bottle down on the table and did a quick about-face, coming face-to-face with a nonchalant Ren. "Tsuruga san, you laughed just now, didn't you?" Her eyes squinted up at him, suspicion laced through her voice.

"No, I didn't." Ren fought to keep laughter from bubbling up to the surface as he looked down at the slightly pouty expression on Kyoko's face. Catching sight of Kyoko's red fingertips, the laughter trying to make its way past his throat fizzled out completely. "I see no reason to laugh." Ren said softly.

Kyoko froze, suddenly aware of how small the distance between them was. Kyoko stiffly nodded to Ren and whirled around, suddenly eager to continue the battle against Sir Cap.

The moment she picked up the ointment bottle however, her hands ground to a halt, unable to move once more. Kyoko's eyes grew wider and wider as she felt Ren step closer to her, his arms quickly surrounding and trapping Kyoko as he gently plucked the ointment bottle from her stone cold fingers. Ren leaned over, drawing close enough that Kyoko could feel his breath against her ear and spoke in a husky whisper. "Please, allow me."

A/N: So, there was a princess in the delusion, but Kyoko is a general... I'm not exactly sure how that happened, haha. Well, anyways, I originally was going to name Kyoko's demonic horse Shou or Reino, as to show Kyoko's dominance over those two men. But well, I didn't want to ruin Kyoko's lovely fantasy fighting for the king by inserting one of those two names into her delusion, haha. I'm sure we all know who the king is. So, which name do you think fits General Kyoko's demonic horse better? Shou or Reino? (Personally, I can't decide, aha)

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic. You all make my day. I hope this chapter brings a smile to your face.


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